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At first glance, this work could seem closer to a difficult academic examination than the latest pop album by an artist whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Broken across four separate parts and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of other pop stars look rather modest.

Transcending Academic Pretense

The fact that this album manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing is almost miraculous, with sole praise belonging to the artist. Although this is not her first project to fuse the past and the present, its stakes are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to stay right there through the ride.

A Prime Example of Joy

That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes in with cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.

"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite know—or even want to know—what it is going to next."

Almost every song ends at a totally different place than how it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften its rough edges.

The Balance Between Art and Pop

Another crucial balancing act of the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track sung primarily in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That feat gets repeated on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate weave.

• A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
• Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."

An Opulent Feast for the Soul

This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While other major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the guests at it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.