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Initially, this work may look more like a challenging scholarly quiz than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous hit featured a global pop star. Divided into 4 separate parts and performed in thirteen languages, we have a dizzying classical-tinged work exploring feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, frequently via the perspective of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched upwards here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning composer within a long roll call of collaborators. The pure daring alone renders the efforts of other artists seem quite modest.

Transcending Scholarly Exercise

That this album succeeds in escape dry academic chin-stroking feels almost miraculous, and sole praise going to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to fuse historical sounds and the present, its ambitions are far higher here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly elevates this fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist at her peak, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart apart, you nevertheless desire to be right there for the journey.

A Prime Moment of Exuberance

This exuberant energy shines brightly during the stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration before a hilariously exaggerated string surge thuds in like cartoonish force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.

"The charm of this album lies in the listener never quite understand—or even wish to predict—where you will go to next."

Nearly every song finishes in a totally distinct point from where it started. A track examines the transient nature of fame over a featherlight symphony before collapsing into digital chaos. Another, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work begins off dark and sinister, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.

The Balance Between Art and Accessibility

Another crucial balancing act of the album is straddling the gap between radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's first work to break into the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that feels to collect more and more nagging melodies while it spirals upward. That feat is echoed on another expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate weave.

• A dance-infused song charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
• In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
• Across the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."

An Opulent Feast for the Ears

This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in excess. This is an abundant source of buried treasure that requires time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some major releases of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish feast where the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flit between discussions about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly inventive practitioner.