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Initially, Lux may look more like an arduous academic quiz than the latest popular music record by an artist whose last single featured an international K-pop star. Split across 4 different sections and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently via the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of other pop stars seem quite small.

Transcending Academic Pretense

The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, its stakes feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.

A Signature Moment of Joy

That playful energy shines brightly on the stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The track then segues into the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.

"The charm of this album lies in you never exactly understand—or even want to know—where you is going next."

Almost every song concludes in a completely distinct place than how it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.

The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility

Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This feat gets echoed by another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.

• A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
• In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
• Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul

Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast where the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.