Initially, this album could seem closer to a difficult academic challenge rather than a new popular music project by an artist whose last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Divided into 4 distinct sections and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying symphonic work that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and physical change, frequently via the prism of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded honesty on another major 2025 album—is launched heavenward on this record, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other artists seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to transcend overly academic chin-stroking is almost miraculous, with full praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, the scale feel much higher here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What really elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing hearts in two, you still want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in with comedic force. The song then segues into the frenetic track featuring racing strings, a powerful choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite know—or even wish to predict—what you will go next."
Almost each track ends in a totally different place than how it began. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
A key balancing act on the album is navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins upward. That trick gets echoed on another powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own inherent excess. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit from conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.
