Rosalía - Berghain

Rosalía sounds godlike on her first glimpse into the forthcoming album.

Welcome to LUX — the fourth chapter and, paradoxically, the first full-length release in four years from the Catalan virtuoso Rosalía. Beloved for her sleek pop triumphs, she now opts for a braver trajectory, choosing risk over radio. “Berghain”, the lead single from her forthcoming record, offers nothing resembling the sugar-coated formulas of contemporary Top 40 — and that feels liberating.

It’s almost surreal that LUX features the London Symphony Orchestra, especially given that the album’s opening vignette takes its name from Berlin’s infamous techno club. In its first movement, Rosalía — submerged in tempestuous strings — levels the listener with an arresting, operatic vocal performance. Then, midway through, she cedes the spotlight to her co-conspirators: Björk and Yves Tumor. Björk is a natural fit; the two previously joined forces on 2023’s enchanting “Oral”, and it’s gratifying to see such chemistry evolve into ideas that feel even sharper, stranger, and more refined.

Lyrically, this may be one of Rosalía’s most visceral statements. Possessed by devotion, she vows to absorb her lover’s fear, fury, and very blood, likening herself to a lone sugar cube dissolving in coffee — tender, transient, and doomed. As the track descends into its final act, Yves Tumor bursts into the masquerade, snarling the menacing refrain: “I’ll fuck you ’til you love me”.

Rosalía has long thrived on audacity — on bending genres, warping expectations, and refusing the comfortable middle. With every release she remakes herself, further solidifying her status as one of the era’s essential architects of pop’s future. On Berghain, she extends her hand toward a new, untamed realm — an invitation that feels impossible to decline.

8.8/10