Initially, this album might appear closer to a difficult university examination rather than the latest popular music project from a musician whose previous hit featured an international pop star. Broken into four different movements and sung in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning classical-tinged opus that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often via the prism of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, carried by the constant presence of a major orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other artists look rather modest.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album manages to transcend overly academic posturing is almost a miracle, and complete credit belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time album to alchemize historical sounds and the present, the stakes are far greater here, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that really elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart apart, the listener still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines brightly during the stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four moments. Then, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful giggle and a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo thuds down with cartoonish force. The track then shifts to the wild track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album lies in the listener rarely quite understand—nor want to know—what it is going next."
Almost each song ends in a totally distinct place than where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of fame over a featherlight symphony before collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Balance Between Art and Pop
Another crucial achievement on Lux is navigating the gap between radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks while it spins upward. This trick gets echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A Art amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that takes time to completely mine but never feels like hard work. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
