At first glance, this album might appear closer to a challenging university challenge than a new pop record by an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Broken into 4 separate parts and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a breathtaking classical-tinged work investigating feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often by way of the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast list of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the efforts of other artists look rather modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid dry intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit going to the artist. While this is not her first album to alchemize the past with modern styles, the scale are far greater here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy shines brightly during the stirring Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy over several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you never quite understand—nor want to predict—where you is going to next."
Nearly each track concludes at a totally different point from how it started. One moment explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing her earlier rhythmic work begins off moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves straddling the gap of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is little coincidence that the album has become the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of utterly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick gets echoed by another expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that skillfully manages its inherent excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flutter between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
