At first glance, Lux might appear closer to a challenging university quiz rather than a new pop project from a musician whose last hit featured an international pop icon. Broken into 4 different movements and performed in 13 tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, often through the perspective of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure ambition alone renders the work of contemporary artists look rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing is almost miraculous, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds and modern styles, its scale are much higher here, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that you never quite understand—nor want to predict—what it will go next."
Nearly each song finishes at a completely distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Of Art and Pop
A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. One track sung primarily in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. This trick is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters at the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
