On the surface, Lux may look more like an arduous university examination rather than a new popular music record by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across 4 distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently through the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, carried by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of other pop stars appear quite modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not her first album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, the ambitions are much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly on a stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song immediately shifts into the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux is that you rarely quite understand—nor want to predict—where it is going to next."
Nearly every track concludes in a completely different place than where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic style begins off moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is navigating the gap between bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals upward. That feat gets repeated by another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its built-in excess. This is a deep well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully mine but never seem like a chore. Where other big releases of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous feast where the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly creative visionary.
