At first glance, this work may look closer to a difficult academic examination than a new pop album from a musician who just had a last hit featured an international pop icon. Split across four separate sections and sung in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic opus investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently via the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars seem rather small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with full praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to blend the past with the present, its stakes feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act far more dramatic. What really raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. When she is breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds in with cartoonish impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—nor wish to know—what you will go to next."
Almost each song concludes at a totally distinct place from where it began. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key balancing act on Lux involves straddling the gap of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in English swells on a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spirals upward. That trick gets repeated by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
