At first glance, Lux might appear more like a challenging scholarly examination than a new pop record by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken across 4 separate sections and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists appear quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize the past and the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you still desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album is that the listener rarely quite know—nor want to predict—what it will go to next."
Almost each track concludes in a completely distinct place than how it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate symphony before collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that it has become her first release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spins upward. This feat gets echoed on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried treasure that requires patience to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While other major releases of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
