Initially, this work could seem more like an arduous scholarly examination than a new popular music record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across four separate movements and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently by way of the prism of various female saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, carried by the lush sound of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity alone makes the efforts of other artists look quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, with full praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to alchemize the past and the present, the ambitions are much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What really elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart apart, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly on the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Then, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues to the wild track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener never exactly know—nor want to predict—what it will go to next."
Almost every song concludes in a totally different place from where it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album involves straddling the line between radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That feat gets repeated by another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes patience to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where other major releases of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
