On the surface, Lux might appear closer to a challenging university quiz than the latest pop project from a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across four different parts and voiced in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic album exploring female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical change, often by way of the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists look quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is breaking hearts apart, you still want to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The song immediately shifts into the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—nor wish to predict—what you will go next."
Nearly each song ends in a totally different place than how it began. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. This trick gets repeated on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
