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On the surface, Lux might appear more like an arduous scholarly quiz than a new pop album by a musician who just had a previous single featured an international pop star. Divided across four different parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged opus that delves into female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often via the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone renders the efforts of other pop stars seem rather small.

Transcending Academic Pretense

The fact that Lux manages to transcend overly academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds with the present, the ambitions are far higher on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking your heart apart, the listener still want to stay right there for the journey.

A Signature Example of Joy

This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops silent, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down like cartoonish impact. The track then shifts to the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.

"The magic of Lux lies in you never quite understand—or even wish to predict—where it will go to next."

Nearly every song finishes at a completely different point than where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work begins off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.

The Balance Between Art & Accessibility

Another crucial balancing act on Lux is navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. That trick is echoed by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex tapestry.

• A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
• In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."

An Opulent Banquet for the Ears

This album represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried treasure that takes patience to completely explore but never feels like a chore. Where some big releases of the year felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.