Initially, this work may look closer to a challenging scholarly quiz than the latest popular music album by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split into 4 separate parts and sung in 13 languages, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus investigating feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently via the perspective of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars appear rather modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with complete praise going to the artist. Although this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the ambitions feel far higher here, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. When she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down like comedic force. The song then shifts to the wild single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—where you will go next."
Almost every track concludes in a completely different place from how it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album is navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. That feat gets echoed on a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. Where some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish feast where the characters around the table, some tipsy on sacred wine, flit between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
