On the surface, this work might appear closer to a difficult academic quiz than a new pop album from a musician who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Divided into four separate movements and performed in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic work investigating female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid dry academic posturing feels almost miraculous, and complete praise going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to blend historical sounds and the present, its stakes are much greater here, and the balancing act more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she is breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This playful energy shines brightly during a stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track immediately segues to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—what it will go next."
Almost every song concludes in a completely distinct point from how it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style begins out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Art & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That feat gets repeated on another powerful ballad that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried gems that requires time to completely explore but never feels like hard work. Where some major releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
