On the surface, this work could seem more like an arduous university examination than a new pop record by an artist who just had a previous single featured a global pop icon. Split across 4 different sections and voiced in 13 languages, we have a dizzying symphonic work that delves into female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often by way of the lens of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter among an extensive list of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel much higher on Lux, and the balancing act more pronounced. The element that really raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, the listener still want to be right there for the journey.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during the stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in with comedic force. The track then segues into the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what it is going to next."
Nearly each song ends at a totally distinct point from how it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins off moody and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of the album is straddling the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that the album has become the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed primarily in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. This trick gets repeated on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a lavish banquet where the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
