On the surface, Lux might appear more like a challenging university quiz than a new pop project by a musician who just had a previous hit featured a global pop star. Broken into four different movements and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged opus that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of other pop stars appear quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, with full credit going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel far higher here, with the balancing act more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you still desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines brightly during a stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in with comedic force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to know—where it is going next."
Almost every track concludes in a totally different place than where it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that it has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals upward. This feat gets repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish feast where the guests around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
