At first glance, this work may look more like a challenging academic challenge than the latest pop record by a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Broken into four separate parts and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged opus investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often via the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to transcend overly academic posturing is almost miraculous, and sole credit belonging to the artist. While it's not her first album to fuse the past with the present, its stakes feel much greater on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. When she is tearing your heart apart, you still desire to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This playful energy comes forth brightly during the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like comedic force. The track then segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener never exactly know—nor wish to know—where you is going to next."
Almost each track concludes in a totally distinct point than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by another powerful track that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires patience to completely explore but never seem like hard work. While some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
