At first glance, this work may look more like a challenging university examination than a new pop album by a musician whose last single featured a global pop star. Divided into four different movements and sung in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone makes the efforts of other pop stars seem rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid dry academic posturing is nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the wild track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album is that you rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a totally different point than where it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
A key balancing act on Lux involves navigating the line of bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has become her first release to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spins upward. This trick is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
