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At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly examination rather than the latest popular music project from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken across four different movements and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often through the lens of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists look rather modest.

Transcending Academic Exercise

The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with full credit belonging to the artist. While this is not her first project to alchemize the past with the present, the scale are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, the listener still want to be alongside her through the ride.

A Signature Moment of Joy

This exuberant spirit shines clearly during a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.

"The charm with this album is that the listener never quite know—or even wish to predict—what you is going to next."

Nearly every track concludes at a completely different place from where it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its rough edges.

The Balance Between Art & Accessibility

Another crucial achievement on Lux is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spins upward. This feat is repeated on a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like a complex weave.

• A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
• Lyrically, it shares the cultural impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
• Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears

Lux represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that takes patience to completely mine but never feels like hard work. While some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.