At first glance, this album could seem more like a challenging academic challenge rather than the latest popular music record by a musician who just had a last single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Divided into four different movements and voiced in 13 tongues, it is a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work that delves into female mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, frequently through the lens of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars heavenward on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone makes the work of contemporary pop stars look quite modest.
That Lux manages to transcend dry intellectual posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, and complete credit going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds and modern styles, its stakes are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more precarious. What really raises this fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of joy. Much like the legendary Björk at her peak, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. When she is tearing hearts apart, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for several minutes. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds down with cartoonish force. The song then shifts into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The magic with Lux is that you rarely exactly understand—or even wish to know—where it is going next."
Nearly every song ends in a completely different place from where it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work begins out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
Another crucial balancing act on Lux involves straddling the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that it has achieved her first work to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in English builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. That feat gets echoed by a different powerful ballad that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate weave.
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art amid of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests at it, some intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from discussions about historical figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital innovation across global markets.
