At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging scholarly examination rather than a new pop album by a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Divided across 4 distinct movements and sung in 13 tongues, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced opus that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently via the perspective of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched heavenward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars look quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly academic chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds and the present, its ambitions are far greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more precarious. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, the listener still want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful energy comes forth brightly on a stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in with comedic force. The track immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you rarely quite understand—or even want to know—what you will go to next."
Almost every song finishes at a completely different point than how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its jagged corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap between radical innovation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. That feat is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A waltz-like song seduces via its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes patience to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some major pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet where the guests around it, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
