On the surface, this album could seem more like a difficult university challenge rather than a new popular music record from an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken across 4 distinct parts and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking symphonic album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, frequently through the lens of various women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of other artists seem rather small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That Lux succeeds in transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. What truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful spirit shines clearly on a stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes down like cartoonish force. The song immediately segues into the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never quite know—nor wish to predict—what you will go next."
Almost every song ends in a totally distinct place than how it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song sung primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes time to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some big releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
