Rosalía’s versatility is a given at this point. Whether she’s revamping flamenco on ‘El Mal Querer’ or serving up reggaeton with an avant-pop twist on ‘Motomami’, the Catalan songwriter is always ahead of the curve. ‘Lux’, though, is an entirely different beast even when viewed in that shape-shifting context; an odyssey through all things feminine and divine, complete with classical flourishes.
Its provocative lead single Berghain, released barely two weeks prior to release, gave a taste of the record’s pomp and grandeur, with its abrupt strings, courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra, and operatic vocals alluding to Saint Hildegard. Several songs are loosely inspired by such figures, as Rosalía seeks to channel their devotion and sacrifice through love and desire.
On the baroque-inspired Reliquia, she mines herself emotionally, traversing a map of cities where she has left pieces of herself behind.
Meanwhile, the sludgy, bass-heavy Porcelana finds Rosalia rapping in Japanese while a cacophony of ominous synths and frenzied strings stir. “I am the queen of chaos / Because that’s what God decided,” she announces.
La Perla is a waltz, though there is nothing romantic on offer lyrically, as Rosalía launches a scathing attack on an “emotional terrorist” of an ex-lover. She tries her hand at an Italian aria on the hair-raising Mio Cristo Piange Diamant and adopts the Portuguese fado tradition on the self-reflective Carminho collaboration Memoria.
La Yugular explores relativity and transcendence, with an interpolation of a Patti Smith speech about going beyond the “seventh heaven”, while she contemplates sinning, betrayal, and forgiveness on‘La Rumba del Perdón and eschews materialism on the elegant Sauvignon Blanc.
Rosalía recently said that she wants ‘Lux’ to challenge her listeners, to provoke. But it is not some inaccessible abstraction. You don’t need to be a scholar to find a thought or a feeling on this album — it is brimming with raw emotion. Its impressive scale, unflinching commitment to artistry and audacious instrumental and lyrical turns (the record is sung in 13 different languages) make it one of the year’s most rewarding investments.
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