Initially, Lux might appear more like a difficult university quiz than the latest popular music project from a musician whose last single featured an international pop star. Split across four separate sections and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary artists seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its tornado. When she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be right there through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds down like comedic force. The track then shifts into the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—nor want to know—where you is going to next."
Nearly every song finishes in a totally different point from where it started. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work starts off moody and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. This is a deep source of hidden gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
