On the surface, this album might appear more like a challenging university challenge rather than a new pop album from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split across four different sections and sung in 13 languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, often via the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the work of other pop stars seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing feels nearly a miracle, with full praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, its stakes feel much greater on Lux, and the balancing act far more pronounced. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on the stunning Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Suddenly, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux lies in you never exactly understand—nor want to know—what it will go next."
Nearly each track concludes at a totally distinct point from where it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its rough corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little coincidence that it has become her first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals upward. This feat is echoed by another powerful ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. Where other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flit between conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
