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At first glance, this album may look closer to an arduous scholarly examination rather than a new pop record from a musician whose last single was a collaboration with a global pop star. Divided across four different sections and voiced in 13 tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, often via the prism of different female saints. The end of a romance—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, carried by the constant sound of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. The pure audacity alone renders the efforts of contemporary artists appear quite small.

Transcending Scholarly Exercise

That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual posturing is nothing short of a miracle, and sole praise going to the artist. Although it's not her first project to alchemize historical sounds and modern styles, the stakes feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that truly raises her fourth release, outside of its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk at her peak, there is a captivating quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the journey.

A Prime Example of Joy

This exuberant energy shines clearly on a stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in like cartoonish force. The song immediately segues to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist herself.

"The charm with this album lies in the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—where you is going next."

Almost every song concludes at a completely distinct point than where it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work starts out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's rough corners.

The Balance Of Experiment & Pop

A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the gap of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat gets echoed on another expansive ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.

• A waltz-like number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
• In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "emotional bully".
• Across the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Banquet for the Ears

This album represents popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires time to completely explore but never feels like hard work. Where some major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, Lux is a lavish feast where the characters at the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.