At first glance, Lux might appear more like a difficult scholarly quiz than the latest pop project by an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken into four distinct parts and voiced in 13 languages, we have a dizzying symphonic album investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape dry intellectual posturing feels almost miraculous, and complete credit belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past and modern styles, its ambitions feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that truly raises this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she's tearing your heart apart, the listener still desire to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues into the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of Lux lies in you never exactly understand—nor want to predict—where you is going next."
Almost every track finishes in a totally distinct point from how it started. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies as it spins upward. That feat is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some major releases of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
