On the surface, this work could seem closer to a difficult academic examination than a new pop project from a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided across 4 distinct sections and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic album exploring female mystery, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the perspective of different women saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself makes the work of contemporary artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to blend historical sounds and modern styles, the scale feel much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart apart, the listener still want to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful energy shines clearly on a stunning Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music falls silent, and there's a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—nor wish to know—what you is going to next."
Almost every track ends at a completely different point than how it started. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop
A key balancing act on the album involves navigating the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in English swells on a chorus that seems to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated by a different expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the guests around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
