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On the surface, this album might appear closer to a challenging academic quiz than a new popular music album by a musician whose previous single featured a global pop icon. Split into four distinct parts and sung in 13 languages, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily change, frequently through the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched heavenward on this record, buoyed by the constant presence of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. The pure ambition by itself renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite modest.

Transcending Academic Exercise

That this album succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing is almost a miracle, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its ambitions are much greater here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What really raises her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and inherent theatricality, is an essential sense of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she is tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the journey.

A Prime Example of Joy

This exuberant energy shines brightly during a stunning Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes down with comedic force. The song then shifts into the frenetic track driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.

"The magic of Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—nor want to predict—where you is going next."

Nearly each song finishes in a totally distinct place from where it started. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused work begins out moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth its jagged edges.

The Balance Between Experiment & Pop

Another crucial achievement on Lux involves straddling the line of radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become her first work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spins upward. That feat gets repeated by another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.

• A waltz-like song charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of other breakup songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
• Across the album, the singing carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."

A Maximalist Feast for the Soul

This album is pop on a grand level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to fully explore but never seem like hard work. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a lavish feast at which the guests at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from pop's most restlessly inventive practitioner.