On the surface, this work could seem more like a challenging scholarly quiz rather than the latest popular music record by an artist whose previous single featured an international pop star. Split into 4 separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, often by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a theme treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists look quite small.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing feels almost a miracle, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past and the present, the scale are much greater here, and the balancing act far more precarious. The element that really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its tornado. When she's tearing hearts apart, you still desire to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit shines clearly during a stirring Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge crashes down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the wild single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to know—where it is going next."
Almost every track finishes at a totally different place from where it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the gap between radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. That feat gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high artistry amid of looming artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires patience to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly restlessly inventive practitioner.
