On the surface, this album might appear closer to a challenging academic examination than a new pop record by an artist whose previous hit featured a global pop icon. Broken into 4 different sections and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, frequently by way of the prism of various women saints. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself renders the work of other artists look quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic posturing is almost miraculous, and full praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to fuse the past and the present, the stakes feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, the listener still want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during a stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down with comedic impact. The song then shifts into the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—or even want to predict—what it is going to next."
Nearly every song finishes at a completely different place than where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work starts off dark and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the gap of bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become her first release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is echoed by a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry amid of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes time to fully mine but never seem like a chore. While other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
