On the surface, this work might appear closer to a difficult university examination rather than a new popular music album from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Split across four separate sections and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking classical-tinged opus exploring female mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily change, often via the lens of different female saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is launched skyward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning composer within a long list of contributors. Its sheer daring by itself renders the work of contemporary artists seem quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with full praise going to the artist. Although this is not her first album to fuse historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent drama, is an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary artist during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, you nevertheless want to be alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This playful spirit shines brightly on a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy for more than four moments. Then, all the music falls away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge crashes down like comedic force. The song immediately segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—where it will go next."
Almost every track finishes in a completely distinct point from where it started. One moment examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic style starts out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to soften its rough edges.
The Bridge Of Art & Accessibility
A key achievement of Lux is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that it has become the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song sung entirely in English swells around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious melodies while it spins skyward. That trick gets repeated on a different powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a grand scale, a hungry reach for high Art in an era of looming artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its own built-in excess. It is a deep source of hidden treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While some big releases of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about historical figures, the profound feeling of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
