On the surface, this work may look closer to a difficult scholarly challenge rather than a new popular music project from a musician who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Divided across 4 distinct parts and performed in 13 tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical change, frequently by way of the perspective of various saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists look rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to avoid overly academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with complete praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the stakes feel much greater here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really elevates her fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts in two, you still want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That playful energy comes forth brightly during a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Then, all the music falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of Lux lies in you rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—where it will go to next."
Almost each track concludes at a totally different point from how it started. A track explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing in digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic choir enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key achievement of the album is navigating the line between bold innovation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on another expansive track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending artificial blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where some major releases of 2025 felt like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's truly restlessly creative visionary.
