On the surface, this album may look more like a challenging university examination than a new pop album by a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken into four distinct movements and voiced in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently through the perspective of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the work of other pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape overly academic posturing is nearly a miracle, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its scale feel far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines brightly on the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, and there's a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds down like comedic impact. The track then segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—or even want to know—where it will go next."
Almost every song finishes at a completely distinct place from where it started. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
A key achievement on Lux is navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but never feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
