At first glance, Lux might appear more like an arduous scholarly examination rather than a new pop project by a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Broken into 4 distinct movements and performed in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work that delves into female mystery, religious transcendence, and physical change, frequently via the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. The pure daring alone makes the efforts of other artists look quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual posturing feels nearly a miracle, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to blend the past with modern styles, the scale feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to be alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful energy shines clearly during the stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the frenetic track driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in you rarely quite know—or even want to predict—what you is going to next."
Nearly every song ends in a completely distinct point from where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame over a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
A key balancing act of Lux involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in English swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spirals skyward. This trick gets repeated on another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "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 grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in excess. This is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires time to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
