On the surface, Lux may look more like a challenging university quiz rather than a new pop project by an artist who just had a previous single featured an international pop star. Divided into four separate parts and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal change, often via the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward here, supported by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing is nearly miraculous, and sole praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions are far higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener still desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful energy shines clearly on a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never exactly understand—or even want to know—what it is going next."
Nearly each track ends in a completely different point than how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style starts out dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line of radical innovation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is repeated by another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep well of buried treasure that requires time to completely explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
