At first glance, this work might appear closer to an arduous academic quiz than the latest popular music album by a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken across four distinct sections and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often via the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the work of other pop stars appear rather small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with full praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to blend the past with the present, the scale feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, you still want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything falls away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down like comedic impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in you never exactly know—nor want to know—where it will go next."
Nearly each song finishes at a completely different point from where it started. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. That feat is repeated on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the characters at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
