On the surface, this album might appear closer to a difficult academic examination rather than the latest pop project by a musician who just had a previous single featured a global pop star. Broken into four separate sections and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced album that delves into female mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary artists seem rather small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux succeeds in escape overly intellectual posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time album to alchemize the past with modern styles, its scale feel much higher here, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What truly raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, everything drops away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down with comedic impact. The track then segues into the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist Björk.
"The charm with this album is that you rarely exactly know—or even wish to know—where it is going next."
Almost each track finishes in a totally distinct place than where it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style starts off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement on the album involves navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that feels to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick is echoed on a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its inherent excess. It is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to completely mine but doesn't seem like a chore. Where some big releases of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet where the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's truly restlessly creative practitioner.
