Initially, Lux could seem closer to a challenging university quiz than a new pop project from an artist whose previous single featured a global pop star. Split into 4 different parts and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of other artists look rather modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to transcend overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to alchemize the past with the present, the ambitions feel much higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during the stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—nor wish to predict—what it is going next."
Almost each track concludes at a completely different place from where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves navigating the line between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by a different powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully mine but never feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
