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Initially, this work could seem more like an arduous academic quiz than the latest popular music record by an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across 4 distinct sections and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album investigating female mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often via the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear quite small.

Transcending Academic Exercise

The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to be alongside her through the journey.

A Prime Example of Joy

This playful energy comes forth brightly on the stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge crashes down with cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.

"The charm with this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—nor want to predict—where it will go to next."

Nearly every song ends at a totally distinct place from how it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style starts off dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's jagged edges.

The Balance Between Experiment and Pop

A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the line between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by another expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate weave.

• A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
• In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Across the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Feast for the Ears

This album is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.