At first glance, Lux may look more like a challenging university examination than a new popular music project from an artist whose previous hit featured a global K-pop star. Split into four different parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work that delves into female mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of other artists appear rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds and the present, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that really elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart in two, you still want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That playful energy comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down like comedic impact. The track then shifts into the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album lies in you rarely quite know—nor wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Almost every song finishes in a totally distinct place than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style starts off dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells around a chorus that feels to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. That feat is echoed on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp edge, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully mine but never seem like a chore. While some big releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
