Initially, this work may look more like a difficult university quiz rather than the latest popular music album by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Divided across four distinct sections and sung in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often by way of the perspective of different women saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure ambition by itself renders the work of other artists appear rather modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with sole praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time album to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, the scale are far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful energy shines brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, everything falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the wild single featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of this album lies in the listener rarely exactly know—nor want to know—what it is going next."
Almost each song finishes in a completely different place than where it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before disintegrating in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work begins off moody and brooding, with menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is echoed on another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden gems that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While other big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.
