Initially, this work could seem more like a difficult scholarly examination than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into 4 distinct movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus that delves into female mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often via the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long list of collaborators. The pure daring by itself renders the efforts of other artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with full praise going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, its scale are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking your heart in two, you still want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit shines clearly during the stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in with cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly every song ends at a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic work starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux is straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that it has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spins upward. This feat gets echoed on another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing 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 level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
