At first glance, this album might appear closer to a difficult academic quiz than the latest popular music project by an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global pop star. Broken into four different sections and performed in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album exploring female mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently through the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, carried by the lush presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. The pure daring alone makes the efforts of other pop stars look quite laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, with sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to blend the past and the present, the scale are far higher here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you still desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly on a stirring Italian song about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the wild single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly understand—nor want to predict—where you will go next."
Almost every song ends at a completely different place than how it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
A key balancing act of the album is straddling the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that it has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells on a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high artistry amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to completely explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters at it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
