At first glance, this work could seem closer to an arduous scholarly challenge rather than a new pop record from an artist who just had a previous hit featured an international pop star. Broken across four distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. The pure audacity by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the ambitions feel far higher here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly during a stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild single featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener never exactly know—nor want to know—where it is going next."
Almost every track ends at a totally different place from how it started. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts off dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of Lux involves navigating the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that it has become the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. One track sung entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. That trick gets repeated by a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes time to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While some big releases of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless men. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
