At first glance, Lux could seem more like an arduous academic examination than a new pop record from an artist whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split across 4 different sections and voiced in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking symphonic work that delves into female mystique, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently via the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty on another major 2025 album—soars skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a vast list of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars look rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux succeeds in transcend overly academic chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, with full praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time project to blend the past with modern styles, the scale feel much higher on Lux, and the balancing act far more precarious. What really raises her fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary artist during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts in two, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over more than four minutes. Then, everything falls away, and there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues to the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album is that you rarely quite know—or even want to predict—where you is going to next."
Nearly each track ends at a completely distinct place from where it began. One moment explores the fleeting nature of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing in digital cacophony. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her previous rhythmic work begins out dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir enter to smooth the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art and Pop
Another crucial balancing act of the album involves straddling the line of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track sung primarily in English builds around a refrain that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks while it spirals skyward. This feat is echoed on a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like song charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You have won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for high Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own built-in excess. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to fully explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where some major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a lavish banquet where the characters around it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
