On the surface, Lux may look more like an arduous university quiz than the latest pop project from an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split into 4 separate parts and performed in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the prism of various women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions feel far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines brightly on the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track then shifts into the wild track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you never exactly know—nor want to know—what you will go next."
Almost each track concludes in a totally distinct place than where it started. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This trick gets repeated on another expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
