On the surface, this album might appear more like a difficult academic examination than the latest popular music album by a musician who just had a last hit featured a global pop icon. Broken into 4 distinct parts and sung in thirteen languages, this is a dizzying classical-tinged work that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently through the prism of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the efforts of other artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry academic posturing feels almost a miracle, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she is breaking hearts apart, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful energy comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music falls silent, and there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds down like comedic impact. The track then segues to the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm with Lux is that you never exactly know—nor want to predict—what it is going next."
Almost each song ends at a completely different place than where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style starts out dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album is straddling the gap of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That feat is echoed on a different expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to completely explore but never seem like a chore. Where some major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
