Rosalía’s ‘Lux’ Sustains Critical Momentum, Reframing Barcelona’s Music Ambitions

Its audacious blend of medieval choral textures with electronic minimalism is prompting calls to turn Barcelona’s spotlight into durable industry gains.

Overview

Metacritic rankings cited by Spanish outlets place Lux as the year’s top album and third-best all time based on 13 published critic reviews.
Reviewers describe the record as a high-risk, rupturist pivot that fuses medieval polyphony, electronic minimalism, ritual-like percussion and malleable vocals.
The album spotlights Catalan choral institutions, notably the Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música and the Escolania de Montserrat.
A high-visibility listening event at Barcelona’s MNAC featuring a giant bed installation and a widely viewed interview with David Broncano have amplified the release, with international praise reported, including from Madonna.
Cultural commentary argues Barcelona could leverage the moment given its training pipeline, festivals and audiovisual talent, while noting gaps such as tight live-music rules, limited top-tier studios versus Madrid and the need for stronger institutional support, even as Rosalía invests in a studio in L’Hospitalet.