On the surface, this work may look closer to a challenging university examination than the latest popular music project by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Split across four separate parts and voiced in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the prism of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with full praise belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to fuse the past with modern styles, its ambitions are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its tornado. When she's breaking hearts apart, the listener still want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes in like comedic impact. The song then segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—where it is going next."
Almost every song finishes at a completely distinct place than how it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux is navigating the gap of radical innovation and broad appeal. This is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks while it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. This is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
