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On the surface, Lux might appear more like a difficult university quiz than a new pop record by a musician whose last single featured an international K-pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, often via the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars appear quite small.

Transcending Scholarly Exercise

The fact that Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to alchemize the past with the present, the ambitions feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener still want to be alongside her for the journey.

A Signature Example of Exuberance

This playful energy comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish force. The track then segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist herself.

"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—nor want to know—what you will go to next."

Almost each song concludes in a totally distinct point than how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough corners.

The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop

Another crucial achievement of the album is navigating the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. That feat gets repeated by another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.

• A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
• Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
• Across the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."

An Opulent Feast for the Ears

This album is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. This is an abundant source of buried gems that requires time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.