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At first glance, Lux may look closer to a challenging academic examination rather than the latest popular music record by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Divided into four different sections and voiced in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged opus exploring female mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched skyward here, supported by the lush sound of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite small.

Transcending Scholarly Pretense

That this album succeeds in escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to blend the past and modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher here, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you still want to be alongside her through the journey.

A Prime Example of Exuberance

That exuberant energy shines clearly on the stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.

"The charm with Lux lies in you rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—where you is going next."

Nearly every track ends at a completely different place than where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins off dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.

The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility

A key achievement on Lux involves navigating the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. This feat is echoed on another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.

• A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
• In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
• Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul

This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.