On the surface, Lux might appear more like a challenging scholarly challenge than the latest popular music album from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken into four distinct parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic opus investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently through the prism of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to alchemize the past and modern styles, the stakes feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more pronounced. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The song immediately segues into the wild track driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely quite know—or even want to predict—where you will go to next."
Almost every song finishes at a totally different place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells on a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed on another powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast where the characters around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
