At first glance, this album may look closer to an arduous scholarly quiz than the latest pop album from an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided into four distinct parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear rather modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in avoid overly academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not her first project to blend historical sounds and the present, the stakes are far higher here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines brightly on the stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music drops silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in like comedic force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux is that you rarely quite know—or even wish to know—where you will go next."
Almost each song concludes in a totally distinct place from how it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and brooding, with menacing beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act on Lux is straddling the gap between bold innovation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins upward. That trick is repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. It is an abundant source of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. While some big pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the guests around it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
