Initially, this work may look more like an arduous university challenge than a new popular music project by an artist whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct parts and voiced in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often by way of the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the efforts of other artists seem quite modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to avoid overly academic posturing is nothing short of miraculous, with complete credit belonging to the artist. While this is not her first album to blend the past and the present, the stakes feel far higher here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful energy comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and there's a gleeful giggle and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with cartoonish force. The song then segues to the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never exactly understand—nor wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Almost every track finishes at a totally different point than how it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins off dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves straddling the gap between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spins skyward. This feat gets echoed on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other major releases of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the guests at it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
