Our Top Album of the Year: Rosalía's Masterpiece Takes the Premier Position.

On the surface, this work might appear more like a challenging university examination than the latest popular music record from a musician whose last hit featured a global pop star. Divided into four distinct parts and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged work that delves into feminine mystery, religious ascent, and bodily change, often via the lens of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer among an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself renders the efforts of other artists seem rather modest.

Transcending Academic Exercise

That Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, with full credit going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its ambitions are much greater here, with the balancing act more precarious. What truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. When she's breaking hearts apart, you still want to stay right there through the journey.

A Prime Moment of Joy

That exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool over several moments. Then, all the music drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes in with cartoonish force. The track immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.

"The charm of this album is that you rarely exactly understand—or even wish to know—where it is going to next."

Almost each track finishes at a completely different place than where it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough corners.

The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility

Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies while it spirals skyward. That trick gets echoed by another powerful ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.

• A dance-infused number charms with its playful, theatrical drama and a chant-along hook.
• In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- partner described as an "psychological bully".
• Across these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp smile, like a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Banquet for the Ears

Lux represents popular music on a grand level, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It rejects self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. This is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a sumptuous feast where the guests at it, some tipsy on holy drink, flit between conversations about historical figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common stories about useless partners. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most restlessly creative visionary.