On the surface, this album may look closer to an arduous university examination than the latest pop project from an artist whose last single featured an international K-pop star. Split across four different sections and sung in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic opus that delves into female mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, often via the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds with the present, its stakes are far greater here, with the balancing act more pronounced. What truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, you still want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines brightly during a stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never quite know—or even want to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly every song ends in a totally different place than where it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the gap between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That trick is repeated by another expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in excess. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major releases of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
