On the surface, this album could seem closer to a challenging scholarly challenge than the latest popular music album by an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 different parts and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic work that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, frequently through the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars appear rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time album to fuse the past and the present, the ambitions are far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. What really raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly on a stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in like comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to know—where it is going to next."
Almost each track ends in a totally different place from where it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts off dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the line of radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spins skyward. This feat is echoed by another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
