Initially, this album might appear closer to an arduous university examination rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split into four distinct sections and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking symphonic opus exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently by way of the prism of different saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward here, supported by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the efforts of other artists seem quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and sole credit going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with the present, its scale feel far greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly on a stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Then, all the music falls silent, and there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux is that you never exactly understand—nor wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Nearly each song ends in a completely different point from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic work begins off moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. One track sung entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. That feat gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While some major releases of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests around it, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
