At first glance, this work could seem closer to an arduous scholarly examination than a new pop album from an artist whose previous single featured an international K-pop star. Divided across four separate sections and voiced in 13 languages, this is a head-spinning symphonic work investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily change, frequently via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the lush presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive list of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the efforts of other artists appear quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to fuse the past and modern styles, the ambitions are far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That playful spirit shines brightly on the stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, everything drops silent, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in like comedic impact. The track immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener rarely exactly understand—nor wish to know—what it will go next."
Almost each song finishes at a totally different place from how it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album is straddling the line of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to break into the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed by another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the cultural impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism for sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully mine but never feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year seemed like a meager scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.
