On the surface, this work may look more like an arduous university examination rather than the latest popular music album from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Split into four distinct sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced work that delves into feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, carried by the constant presence of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the work of other pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, the scale are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite understand—or even wish to predict—what it will go to next."
Nearly each song concludes at a totally different point than where it started. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux involves navigating the line of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that it has become the artist's first work to break into the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This feat is echoed on another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
