On the surface, Lux may look more like an arduous scholarly challenge rather than the latest popular music project by an artist who just had a last single featured a global K-pop icon. Split into four separate sections and voiced in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often via the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, carried by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual posturing is almost miraculous, with complete praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to blend the past with the present, its scale are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly on a stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The track then shifts to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The magic with this album is that you rarely quite understand—or even wish to know—where you is going to next."
Nearly each track ends in a totally distinct point from how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts out dark and sinister, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux involves navigating the gap between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her first work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in English swells around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet where the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
