At first glance, this album might appear closer to a difficult academic quiz rather than the latest popular music record by an artist whose last hit featured an international pop icon. Divided across four distinct sections and performed in 13 languages, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical change, frequently via the prism of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward on this record, carried by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself renders the work of other artists seem quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to escape overly academic posturing feels almost a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to blend the past with the present, its scale feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. What really raises her fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, the listener still want to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy shines brightly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues to the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in you never exactly understand—or even wish to know—where it will go next."
Almost every track concludes in a completely distinct place than where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spins upward. This feat is echoed on another powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural honesty of other breakup songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While some big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
