Initially, this work might appear more like a difficult university quiz rather than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split across 4 distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often through the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a theme treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward here, supported by the constant sound of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive list of contributors. The pure ambition alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists look quite small.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, and full praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, its scale are far higher here, with the tightrope walk more pronounced. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, you still desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the wild track driven by racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even want to predict—where it will go next."
Almost each track finishes at a completely different place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts out dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of Lux is navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has become the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. This trick is echoed by another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
