Initially, this work could seem more like an arduous university challenge rather than the latest pop record by an artist whose previous single featured an international pop star. Split into four separate sections and sung in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is shot skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among an extensive list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity alone makes the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. While it's not the first time album to blend the past with modern styles, the ambitions are far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What really elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, you still desire to stay right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down like comedic force. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never exactly understand—nor wish to predict—where it is going next."
Almost every song concludes at a completely different place from how it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony only to collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing her previous trap-infused style begins off dark and sinister, with menacing beats, until sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album is navigating the gap of bold innovation and broad appeal. It is little surprise that it has achieved her first release 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 builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. This trick is repeated on another powerful track that grows and constricts, weaving layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist level, a hungry grasp for high Art amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep source of hidden gems that requires patience to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where some big releases of 2025 seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly creative visionary.
