Initially, this work could seem closer to an arduous scholarly quiz than the latest popular music album by an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided across 4 separate movements and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, often via the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the work of other pop stars look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to blend the past and the present, the scale feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's tearing your heart apart, you still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines clearly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely quite understand—or even want to know—where you is going next."
Almost every song ends in a completely different place from where it started. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its rough corners.
The Balance Of Art and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That trick is repeated on a different expansive track that grows and constricts, weaving layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
