On the surface, this album might appear closer to a challenging university challenge rather than a new pop project by an artist who just had a last single featured a global K-pop star. Divided into 4 separate parts and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently via the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, and full praise going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize the past with the present, the ambitions feel much greater here, and the balancing act more precarious. What truly raises this fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—or even wish to predict—what it will go to next."
Almost every track ends at a completely different point from how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins out moody and sinister, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Pop
A key balancing act on Lux is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of buried gems that requires time to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of 2025 seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.