At first glance, this work might appear more like a challenging scholarly challenge than a new popular music record by a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Divided into 4 different movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying classical-tinged opus exploring feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward on this record, supported by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its scale feel far greater here, and the balancing act far more precarious. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the iconic Björk during her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. When she is breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track then segues to the frenetic single featuring racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of this album is that you never quite know—nor want to predict—where you will go next."
Almost every song ends in a completely different place than how it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic chorus enter to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves straddling the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in English swells around a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spins skyward. This trick gets repeated by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for high artistry amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to completely explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
