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On the surface, this album could seem more like an arduous academic examination rather than the latest popular music project from a musician who just had a last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken across four distinct movements and sung in 13 languages, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged opus exploring feminine mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, often through the prism of different female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards here, supported by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure daring alone renders the work of contemporary artists seem rather small.

Rising Above Academic Pretense

The fact that Lux succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking is nothing short of a miracle, with sole praise going to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds with the present, its ambitions are much greater on Lux, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of joy. Much like the iconic artist at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there through the ride.

A Prime Moment of Joy

That exuberant energy comes forth clearly on a stunning piano-led song inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, to reveal there's a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string surge crashes down like comedic impact. The track immediately segues into the wild single driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.

"The charm with Lux is that you never exactly understand—nor wish to know—what it will go to next."

Almost each track concludes at a completely different point than where it started. A track explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften the song's jagged corners.

The Bridge Between Art and Pop

Another crucial achievement on the album is navigating the gap of radical experimentation and broad accessibility. It is little surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. A song sung primarily in the English language builds on a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spirals upward. That feat gets echoed by another powerful track that grows and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.

• A waltz-like number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
• In its words, it aligns with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Feast for the Soul

Lux represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. This is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. While some big pop albums of 2025 seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the characters at it, some tipsy on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.