Initially, this album may look closer to an arduous academic examination rather than a new popular music album by a musician whose previous hit featured an international pop icon. Split across four separate movements and sung in 13 tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic opus that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often via the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. Its sheer daring alone renders the work of other artists appear quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, and full praise belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time album to alchemize the past with the present, its scale are far higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful energy shines brightly on the stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything falls silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album is that the listener rarely quite know—nor wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Nearly each track concludes at a totally distinct place than how it began. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work starts off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux involves straddling the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This feat gets repeated by another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- partner labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a lavish feast where the characters around it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
