At first glance, this work might appear more like an arduous academic examination rather than a new popular music album by an artist whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken into 4 distinct parts and sung in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and corporal change, often by way of the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars appear rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, with complete praise going to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its ambitions are far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during the stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts into the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album is that the listener rarely exactly know—nor want to predict—where you is going next."
Almost each song concludes at a completely different point from how it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style begins off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. This trick gets echoed by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. This is an abundant well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the guests at it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
