Initially, this album may look closer to a challenging academic quiz than a new pop project from a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split into four distinct movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a head-spinning symphonic work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently through the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a theme handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists seem rather small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is nearly miraculous, with complete credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the scale feel much greater here, with the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she is tearing your heart apart, the listener still want to be right there through the journey.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts into the wild track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor wish to predict—what it is going to next."
Almost each song finishes in a completely different place than how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts out dark and sinister, with prowling beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English swells on a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that requires time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. While some big releases of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly creative visionary.
