At first glance, this album might appear closer to a difficult university examination than the latest pop project by an artist whose previous single featured an international K-pop star. Split across 4 separate movements and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, frequently by way of the perspective of different female saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, with full praise going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the scale are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. What truly raises her fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary artist during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful energy shines clearly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, all the music falls silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down with comedic force. The song then shifts to the wild single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely exactly understand—nor wish to know—where it will go to next."
Almost each track finishes in a completely different place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften its rough corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That feat is echoed by a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. This is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
