At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly examination rather than the latest popular music project by an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken into four different movements and sung in 13 languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently via the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of other artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full credit going to the artist. Although it's not her first album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, its stakes feel far greater on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart in two, you still want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic single featuring racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album is that the listener rarely exactly understand—nor want to predict—what you will go to next."
Nearly every song ends at a completely different place from how it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spins upward. This feat is repeated on another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires patience to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While other major releases of the year felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flit from discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
