At first glance, this album might appear closer to an arduous university quiz rather than a new popular music album by a musician who just had a last single featured a global pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct movements and performed in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily transformation, often through the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in escape overly academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full credit belonging to the artist. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, the listener still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy shines brightly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds down like comedic force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—what it will go next."
Almost every song concludes in a totally distinct point than where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work starts out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that it has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That feat is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish banquet where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
