🔗 Share this article

On the surface, this work may look more like a challenging academic challenge than a new popular music project from an artist who just had a previous hit featured a global K-pop icon. Divided across 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album investigating feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently through the lens of different saintly figures. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars skyward on this record, carried by the constant sound of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself renders the work of contemporary artists look rather laughable.

Rising Above Academic Pretense

The fact that Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and full praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time album to alchemize the past with the present, its ambitions are much greater here, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, you still want to stay alongside her through the journey.

A Signature Moment of Exuberance

This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly on the stunning piano-led song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several moments. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately segues into the wild track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than herself.

"The charm of Lux lies in you never quite know—or even wish to predict—where you is going next."

Almost each track finishes at a completely different point from where it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, with prowling beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged edges.

The Balance Between Art and Pop

A key achievement of the album is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of key markets: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. That trick is echoed by another expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.

• A waltz-like number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
• Throughout the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul

This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of hidden treasure that takes time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. Where some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests around it, some tipsy on holy wine, flit from conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly inventive visionary.