Initially, Lux may look more like a challenging academic examination rather than the latest pop record by an artist who just had a previous single featured an international pop star. Broken across 4 distinct sections and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged album investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical change, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, with full praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the ambitions feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart apart, the listener still want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines clearly on a stirring piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge crashes down with comedic force. The track then segues into the frenetic single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in you never quite understand—or even want to know—where you will go next."
Nearly each song ends at a completely distinct place from where it began. A track explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work starts out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key balancing act of the album involves navigating the line of radical innovation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins upward. That trick gets repeated by another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish feast where the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
