At first glance, this work may look more like a challenging university examination than the latest pop record from an artist whose previous single featured an international pop star. Broken across four separate sections and performed in thirteen languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and bodily change, frequently by way of the perspective of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the work of other pop stars appear rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to transcend overly academic posturing is nearly a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she is breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy shines brightly during a stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes down like cartoonish force. The track immediately shifts into the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you never quite understand—or even wish to know—what you is going to next."
Nearly each song finishes at a completely different point than how it started. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album is straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in English builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks while it spirals skyward. That feat gets echoed by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but never feels like a chore. While some major pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred drink, flit from discussions about historical figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
