At first glance, Lux may look closer to an arduous academic examination rather than a new popular music project from an artist who just had a last hit featured an international pop star. Broken into 4 distinct parts and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning symphonic work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently through the prism of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of contemporary artists look quite small.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to avoid dry academic posturing is almost a miracle, and complete praise belonging to the artist. While it's not the first time album to blend the past and modern styles, its scale feel much greater here, and the balancing act more dramatic. The element that truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you still desire to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Moment of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down like cartoonish force. The song then segues into the frenetic single featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in you rarely exactly know—nor wish to know—where you will go to next."
Nearly each track finishes in a completely different place than how it began. A track explores the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate symphony before collapsing in electronic cacophony. Another, a cut echoing the artist's earlier trap-infused style begins out moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Between Art and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of Lux is navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. A song sung primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. This feat is echoed by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, akin to a storybook character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have won the trophy of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A Art in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to completely explore but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a lavish feast at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flit between discussions about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about useless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly inventive visionary.
