Initially, this work might appear more like a difficult university challenge than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across 4 separate movements and performed in 13 languages, we have a dizzying classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently by way of the perspective of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars skyward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars look rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with the present, the ambitions are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that really raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly during the stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music falls silent, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to know—what it will go next."
Nearly each track finishes in a completely distinct place than where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the gap between bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung entirely in English builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This feat gets echoed on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast where the characters around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
