Initially, this work could seem more like a difficult academic quiz than the latest pop record from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Divided across 4 separate parts and voiced in 13 tongues, it is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work investigating feminine mystery, religious ascent, and corporal change, often via the lens of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists look rather small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to escape overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to fuse the past and modern styles, the scale feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. The element that truly raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to stay right there for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down like comedic impact. The track then segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that you never quite know—or even wish to know—where you will go next."
Almost every track finishes in a completely different point than where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial achievement of Lux is navigating the gap between radical innovation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies as it spirals upward. This trick is repeated by another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major releases of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous feast where the guests around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
