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At first glance, this album could seem closer to an arduous academic challenge than the latest pop record by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split into four different movements and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring female mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite small.

Transcending Scholarly Pretense

That this album manages to transcend overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, and complete praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with modern styles, the ambitions feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its tornado. When she is breaking hearts apart, the listener still desire to stay right there through the journey.

A Signature Moment of Exuberance

This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string surge crashes down with cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.

"The charm of this album lies in the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to know—where it will go next."

Nearly every track finishes in a completely different point from where it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused style begins off moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.

The Balance Of Experiment & Pop

Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.

• A waltz-like song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
• Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears

This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the characters at it, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.