At first glance, this work might appear more like a difficult university quiz than a new popular music album by an artist whose previous hit featured an international pop icon. Broken into 4 separate sections and sung in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work exploring female mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often by way of the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of contributors. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend overly academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to blend the past with modern styles, its stakes feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener still want to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated string crescendo crashes in like comedic force. The track then segues to the wild single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never quite understand—or even wish to know—what it is going next."
Nearly each track ends at a completely distinct point from how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused style starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial achievement of Lux involves straddling the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This feat gets repeated on another expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never seem like a chore. While some major releases of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
