At first glance, this work could seem more like an arduous university quiz rather than a new pop album from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken across 4 separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work investigating female mystique, religious ascent, and bodily change, often by way of the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards here, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of contributors. The pure daring by itself renders the work of other pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album succeeds in avoid dry intellectual posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. While it's not her first album to fuse the past with modern styles, its stakes feel much higher here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential sense of joy. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you still want to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant energy comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely exactly know—or even wish to predict—what you will go next."
Almost every track ends at a totally distinct place than how it began. A track examines the transient trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused work starts out dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
A key achievement on the album involves navigating the line between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This trick is repeated on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song charms via its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the singing have a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried treasure that requires patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
