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On the surface, this work could seem more like a difficult scholarly examination rather than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split across four different sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album exploring female mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often via the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite modest.

Transcending Scholarly Exercise

The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, and sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past and the present, its scale feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the journey.

A Prime Moment of Joy

This exuberant spirit shines brightly on a stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song then segues to the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.

"The magic with Lux is that the listener rarely exactly understand—or even want to know—where you will go next."

Nearly every song concludes in a completely distinct place from how it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused work begins off dark and brooding, with prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.

The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility

Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins upward. That feat gets echoed on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like an intricate tapestry.

• A dance-infused song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
• Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
• Across the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears

Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.