At first glance, this work might appear more like a challenging university quiz rather than a new pop record from a musician who just had a previous hit featured an international K-pop star. Split into four separate movements and performed in thirteen tongues, it is a head-spinning symphonic opus that delves into feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical change, frequently via the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the efforts of other artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing feels almost a miracle, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its stakes are much greater here, with the balancing act far more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in with comedic impact. The track then shifts into the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely different place than how it started. A track explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work starts off dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves navigating the line of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has become her first work to break into the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep well of buried treasure that requires time to completely mine but never feels like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
