At first glance, this album may look closer to a difficult scholarly challenge rather than the latest popular music project from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct movements and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, often by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards on this record, buoyed by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing is almost a miracle, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to blend the past with the present, the scale feel far higher here, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, you still desire to stay right there through the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth brightly during the stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the wild single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener rarely exactly know—nor want to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly each song ends at a completely distinct place than where it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work starts off dark and brooding, with prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is straddling the gap between bold innovation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated by a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried treasure that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
