Initially, this work might appear closer to a difficult scholarly challenge rather than a new pop album from a musician who just had a previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split across four distinct parts and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often by way of the perspective of different female saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—is shot skyward on this record, supported by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album manages to transcend dry academic posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds with modern styles, its scale are much greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, rich compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
This playful energy shines clearly during a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song then shifts into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener never exactly understand—nor wish to predict—where you is going to next."
Almost each track concludes in a totally distinct point from where it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins out moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Of Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to collect more and more nagging hooks as it spins skyward. That trick is echoed by another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its built-in excess. This is an abundant well of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't seem like a chore. While some big pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the characters at it, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
