Madonna’s Confessions II Is Here

Conventional wisdom suggests the last great Madonna album was 2005's Confessions On A Dance Floor, a disco-opera of sorts created with producer Stuart Price to function like a full DJ set. That's the album that gave us the all-timer Madge single "Hung Up," which our own Scott Lapatine concisely blogged about way back when it was only available as a ringtone, describing it as "Kylie meets ABBA."

So it was with great fanfare and anticipation that Madonna teased a new project with Price way back in December 2024. In April of this year, she officially confirmed the album, titled Confessions II, would be out today. After a rollout that included a Sabrina Carpenter collab debuted at Coachella, a Grindr-sponsored pop-up show in Times Square, and a promo film starring current avant-dance-pop stars like Arca, Shygirl, and Honey Dijon, Confessions II is indeed out.

Madonna - Confessions II [Expanded 2xLP]

Granted, I'm experiencing this music at a desk chair rather than on the dance floor, but on first pass, the album sounds like everything Madonna's fan base was hoping for. She and Price — with assists from the likes of Andrew Watt, Cirkut, Tainy, Mustapha, and Martin Garrix — have created a stylish club mix that will have you feeling so free this Independence Day weekend. Once again, here's that manifesto:

We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we've been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It's a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It's about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light, and vibration/ Reshape our perceptions/ Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don't just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.

There's a strong familial element to this project. The album was inspired by the deaths of Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone and stepmother Joan Ciccone in late 2024, and Madonna's daughter Lola Leon features on "The Test." There are also some strong callbacks to Madonna's own history, like "Danceteria," named for the legendary NYC club where Madonna and concurrent stars like RuPaul and Beastie Boys launched their careers. Other featured artists include Stromae and Feid.

There are even more new Madonna dance jams in store beyond what we're getting today. Eight more tracks have been held back for future release (presumably for an eventual deluxe edition), including the Arca collab "What Will Save Me." In the meantime, dive into the canonical Confessions II below — nd when you're finished, start praying that Madonna calls William Orbit back about Ray Of Light II.

Confessions II is out now via Boy Toy Inc/Warner.