On the surface, this album might appear closer to a difficult scholarly examination rather than a new pop record by a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Divided into 4 different parts and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal change, often via the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with full praise belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, the stakes feel much higher here, and the balancing act far more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, the listener still desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stirring piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated string surge crashes down with comedic force. The track then segues to the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener never exactly know—or even want to know—what you is going next."
Almost every song finishes in a completely different point from how it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and brooding, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album is straddling the line of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This feat is echoed by a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the characters around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter between discussions about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
