On the surface, Lux might appear closer to a difficult university quiz rather than a new popular music project from an artist who just had a last single featured an international K-pop icon. Split across 4 separate sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently through the perspective of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the work of other pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album succeeds in avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with full credit going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds with the present, its ambitions feel far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines clearly on a stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The track then segues into the wild track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely quite understand—or even want to know—where it will go to next."
Nearly every song concludes at a completely different place from where it started. A track examines the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style begins out dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
A key achievement of the album involves straddling the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. This trick gets echoed by another expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
