At first glance, this work could seem closer to a difficult university examination than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a last single featured an international pop star. Broken across four separate movements and sung in 13 tongues, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently through the perspective of different female saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant presence of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to blend the past with modern styles, the stakes are much higher here, with the balancing act far more pronounced. What truly raises this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, you still want to stay right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy shines brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge thuds in with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that you never quite understand—or even want to know—where you will go to next."
Almost every track finishes in a totally different place from where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts out moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of Lux is straddling the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a storybook character hiding 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 grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet where the guests around the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
