Initially, Lux might appear more like a challenging university quiz than a new pop project from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Split across 4 separate parts and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, often via the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long list of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing feels almost miraculous, with complete praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its scale feel much greater here, with the balancing act far more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of joy. Much like the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds down like comedic force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux is that you never quite know—or even wish to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track ends at a totally different place than where it started. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style begins out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act on the album is navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spins skyward. This trick is echoed by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
