On the surface, this album might appear closer to a challenging university examination rather than a new pop project by a musician whose previous single featured a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 separate sections and performed in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring female mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently by way of the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone renders the work of other artists look quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with complete credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, the scale are much greater here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, you find a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts in two, the listener still desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The track then shifts into the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what it will go to next."
Nearly each track ends at a totally different place than where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux is straddling the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in English swells around a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This trick is echoed on another powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
