Initially, this album could seem closer to an arduous academic challenge than the latest popular music record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken across four separate parts and performed in 13 tongues, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often through the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. While it's not her first project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the ambitions feel far higher here, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top string surge thuds in like comedic impact. The song then segues to the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly every track concludes at a totally distinct place than how it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate symphony before collapsing in digital chaos. Another, a song echoing her previous trap-infused style starts out dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. That trick gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit from discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
