Initially, this album may look closer to a difficult university examination than a new pop album from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split across four separate parts and sung in 13 tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged album that delves into female mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward on this record, supported by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of other pop stars seem rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
That Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, and complete praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful energy shines clearly during the stirring piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several minutes. Then, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that the listener never quite understand—nor want to know—where it will go to next."
Almost each track finishes at a totally distinct place from where it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, with menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on Lux is navigating the line between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that the album has achieved her first work to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins skyward. This feat is echoed on a different expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of buried gems that requires time to fully mine but never feels like hard work. While other major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly creative practitioner.
