Initially, this work may look closer to a challenging university quiz rather than the latest popular music project by an artist who just had a last single featured an international pop icon. Divided into four separate movements and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking symphonic work exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often via the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the efforts of other artists look rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with full praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to blend the past with modern styles, the stakes feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. When she is breaking your heart apart, you still desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This playful energy shines brightly during the stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes down with cartoonish force. The song then segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never exactly know—or even wish to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a completely distinct place from how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused style starts out dark and sinister, with prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on Lux is navigating the gap between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated by another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. While other big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish feast where the guests around it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative visionary.
