On the surface, this album might appear closer to a difficult university quiz than a new popular music album by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken into 4 separate movements and sung in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged album exploring female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily change, often via the perspective of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars heavenward here, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, its ambitions feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly on the stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge crashes in with cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never quite understand—nor wish to predict—what it will go next."
Almost every track concludes in a totally different place than where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style starts off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux involves straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That feat is echoed by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the characters around it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
