At first glance, this work might appear more like a difficult academic examination rather than a new popular music project by a musician who just had a previous single featured an international pop star. Divided into four separate parts and performed in 13 tongues, it is a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, often through the prism of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the work of contemporary artists appear quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is nearly miraculous, with sole credit going to Rosalía. While it's not her first album to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much higher here, and the balancing act more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor want to predict—where it is going to next."
Almost every song finishes at a completely different place from where it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins off dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by a different powerful track that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
