At first glance, this album might appear more like a difficult scholarly examination than a new pop album by an artist whose previous single featured an international K-pop icon. Divided across four separate sections and voiced in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently via the prism of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of other artists look quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic posturing feels almost a miracle, with sole credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the scale are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines clearly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic force. The song then segues to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you never exactly understand—or even want to know—where it is going to next."
Almost each song ends at a totally distinct point from how it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused style starts out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on Lux is straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This feat gets repeated by a different powerful ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
