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On the surface, this album could seem closer to a difficult academic challenge than the latest pop album from a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Split across four different sections and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystique, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often by way of the perspective of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with raw openness on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, supported by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of other artists appear rather small.

Transcending Academic Pretense

The fact that Lux succeeds in avoid dry academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with sole credit going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to fuse the past and the present, its ambitions feel much greater here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth release, beyond its complex tunes, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.

A Prime Moment of Exuberance

That playful energy shines clearly on a stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and we hear a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge thuds down like comedic force. The song immediately shifts into the wild single featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.

"The magic with this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor want to know—where you will go to next."

Nearly every track ends in a totally distinct point than how it started. A track explores the transient nature of fame over a delicate orchestration only to collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her earlier rhythmic style begins out dark and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to soften its rough edges.

The Bridge Of Experiment & Pop

A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the gap of radical experimentation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a suite of truly catchy hits. A song performed entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect increasingly infectious melodies as it spins skyward. This feat is echoed by a different powerful track that grows and contracts, intertwining layered tunes as an intricate tapestry.

• A dance-infused song seduces via its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
• Lyrically, it aligns with cultural honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
• Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a storybook character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."

A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul

This album is pop on a maximalist scale, an ambitious grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully controls its inherent excess. It is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some big pop albums of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish feast where the guests around the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly creative visionary.