On the surface, this work may look more like an arduous academic challenge than a new popular music project from an artist whose previous single featured a global pop star. Broken into 4 separate movements and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying symphonic opus investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently via the prism of various female saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars appear rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and full credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, its ambitions feel much higher here, with the balancing act more precarious. What really raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, the listener still want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds down like comedic impact. The track then shifts to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even want to predict—where it is going to next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely different place than where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused work begins off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is straddling the gap between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. That trick is repeated by a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major releases of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
