On the surface, Lux might appear closer to a challenging academic examination than a new popular music project by a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided across four separate movements and performed in 13 languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently via the lens of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of other artists appear rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, its scale feel much higher here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
This playful energy shines brightly on a stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down like comedic impact. The song then segues to the wild track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic of Lux lies in you never quite understand—nor wish to predict—where you will go next."
Almost every song ends in a completely different point than where it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic work starts out moody and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album is straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick gets repeated on another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies like a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep well of hidden gems that takes time to completely mine but never seem like hard work. While some major releases of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
