On the surface, Lux may look more like a difficult university examination than a new popular music record from an artist who just had a previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 different movements and performed in thirteen tongues, this is a breathtaking symphonic work investigating feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal transformation, frequently through the lens of various saintly figures. The end of a romance—a topic treated with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—soars upwards here, carried by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the efforts of other artists look quite modest.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend the past with modern styles, its scale feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more precarious. What really elevates this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she is breaking hearts in two, you still want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration before a comically over-the-top string surge crashes down with cartoonish impact. The song then segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from none other than herself.
"The magic with Lux is that the listener never quite understand—or even want to know—what it is going next."
Nearly each song finishes in a completely different point than how it began. A track examines the transient nature of celebrity over a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art & Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux involves straddling the line of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in English swells around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. That feat is repeated by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a sharp edge, like a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album represents pop on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where other major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests around the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
