At first glance, this album could seem closer to a difficult scholarly quiz rather than a new popular music project by a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across 4 distinct parts and sung in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged opus investigating female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the prism of various female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the work of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape overly academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to blend historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel far greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you still want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stunning Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm with Lux is that the listener never quite understand—nor wish to predict—where you is going to next."
Nearly every song concludes in a completely distinct point from where it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style begins out dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album is straddling the line of radical innovation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has become her first work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song sung entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. That trick is echoed on a different expansive track that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is a deep source of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never seem like a chore. Where some major pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
