At first glance, this work could seem more like a difficult scholarly quiz rather than the latest popular music project by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken across four separate sections and performed in 13 languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged work that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards here, buoyed by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking is nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time album to blend historical sounds with the present, its stakes are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart in two, you still want to be alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in with comedic force. The track immediately shifts into the wild single driven by galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to know—where it will go next."
Nearly every song finishes in a completely different point than where it began. A track examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
A key balancing act on the album involves navigating the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song sung entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. This trick is echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to completely explore but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.
