On the surface, this album could seem closer to a difficult academic examination than a new pop record by an artist who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split into four distinct parts and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, often by way of the perspective of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward here, carried by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of other pop stars appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and sole credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its ambitions feel far greater here, with the balancing act more pronounced. What really raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless want to be alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth clearly on the stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes in with comedic force. The track immediately segues into the wild single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album lies in you rarely quite know—nor wish to know—where it is going next."
Nearly each song concludes in a completely distinct point than how it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the line between radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks while it spins upward. That feat is echoed on a different powerful track that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish feast at which the characters around it, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flit between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
