On the surface, Lux could seem closer to an arduous academic quiz than the latest popular music album from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Divided into four different movements and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently via the lens of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a long list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars look rather small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel far greater here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she is breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish force. The track then shifts into the frenetic single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly every song finishes at a totally different point from where it started. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous trap-infused work starts out dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become her first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song sung entirely in the English language swells on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spins skyward. That feat is echoed on another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing have 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 popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its built-in excess. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While some major releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
