On the surface, this album may look more like an arduous university challenge than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Broken across 4 distinct parts and sung in 13 languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced album that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often by way of the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among an extensive list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the work of other pop stars seem quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to fuse the past with modern styles, its ambitions feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, the listener still want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds in like cartoonish impact. The track then segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener never quite know—nor want to predict—where it will go next."
Almost each song ends at a completely distinct point than where it began. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous trap-infused style begins off moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that the album has become the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. This trick gets echoed on another powerful track that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While some major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
