Initially, Lux may look more like an arduous scholarly quiz than the latest popular music record from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Divided across four separate movements and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged opus investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and physical change, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly academic posturing is almost a miracle, and sole credit belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past and modern styles, its stakes feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. When she is breaking hearts in two, you still want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth clearly during the stunning piano-led song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the wild single driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm with Lux is that you never quite know—nor want to predict—what it will go next."
Almost each song ends in a totally different place from how it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. This trick is echoed by another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. This is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. Where some big releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly creative visionary.
