At first glance, this work could seem more like a challenging academic challenge than a new popular music project by an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken across four distinct parts and sung in 13 languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged album investigating female mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, with sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to blend the past and modern styles, its ambitions are much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit shines brightly on a stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The track then shifts into the wild single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of Lux is that you never exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where you is going to next."
Nearly every song concludes in a totally different place than where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That feat is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving layered tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
