At first glance, this album could seem more like a difficult university quiz than a new pop project from an artist who just had a previous hit featured a global pop icon. Divided across 4 different parts and performed in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring female mystery, religious ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently via the lens of different saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward on this record, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself renders the efforts of other artists look quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
That Lux manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing is almost a miracle, with complete credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel far higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she's tearing your heart in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That playful spirit comes forth brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo crashes in like cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—nor want to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track finishes in a completely distinct place from how it started. A track examines the transient trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her previous trap-infused work starts out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
A key achievement on the album involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This feat is echoed on a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A waltz-like number charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture impact of other breakup songs, eviscerating a former lover labeled an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to completely explore but never feels like a chore. While some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most restlessly creative practitioner.
