At first glance, this album could seem more like an arduous university examination rather than a new popular music album by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Broken across 4 distinct movements and performed in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a long list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone renders the efforts of other artists appear rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing is nearly a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to blend historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are far higher here, and the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge crashes in like comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the wild single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track ends at a completely distinct place than where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with prowling vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
A key balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap between bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This trick gets repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
