On the surface, this album might appear more like a challenging university quiz rather than a new popular music record by a musician who just had a previous hit featured an international pop icon. Split across 4 separate parts and performed in 13 languages, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently through the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant presence of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone makes the work of other pop stars appear quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its scale feel much higher here, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you still want to be right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like comedic impact. The song then shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album is that you never exactly understand—nor wish to know—where you will go next."
Nearly every song finishes in a totally distinct place from how it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into digital chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins out dark and brooding, with menacing vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is little surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. A song sung primarily in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. This feat is repeated by a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered melodies like an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the characters around the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
