At first glance, this work might appear closer to a challenging scholarly quiz than the latest pop record by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across 4 separate movements and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, with sole credit going to Rosalía. While it's not her first album to blend historical sounds with the present, the stakes feel much higher here, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly on the stunning Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like cartoonish force. The track then segues to the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite know—or even wish to know—where it will go next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely distinct point than how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony before collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop
A key balancing act on the album involves navigating the gap between radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English swells around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This trick gets echoed on another expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where other big releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
