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At first glance, Lux could seem closer to a challenging academic quiz rather than the latest pop record from an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split into 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the lens of various women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists look quite small.

Rising Above Academic Exercise

The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. Although it's not her first album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its scale are far higher here, with the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.

A Prime Example of Exuberance

This exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with comedic force. The track then shifts into the wild track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.

"The magic of Lux is that the listener rarely quite know—or even wish to know—what it is going to next."

Nearly each song concludes in a completely different point from how it started. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins off moody and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged corners.

The Bridge Of Art and Pop

Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies as it spins skyward. This feat gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.

• A waltz-like song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
• In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
• Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Banquet for the Ears

This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. This is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.