On the surface, this work could seem closer to a difficult university examination rather than the latest pop project by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken into 4 separate parts and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album exploring female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often through the prism of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars appear quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is nearly a miracle, with sole credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to fuse the past with the present, its ambitions are far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of fun. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds in with cartoonish force. The song then shifts into the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly every track ends at a totally different point from where it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work starts off dark and brooding, with prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. That trick gets repeated on a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its jaunty, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires patience to completely mine but never feels like a chore. While some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters around it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
