On the surface, this album might appear closer to a challenging university examination rather than a new pop album from a musician whose last single featured a global pop icon. Broken into 4 separate sections and voiced in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced opus that delves into female mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often by way of the lens of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot skyward here, buoyed by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive list of contributors. The pure daring alone makes the efforts of other pop stars seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing is nothing short of miraculous, and full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel much greater here, with the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that really elevates her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her height, there is a wondrous sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit shines brightly during the stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a comically exaggerated string crescendo crashes down like comedic force. The track then segues into the frenetic track featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to know—where you will go to next."
Almost every track concludes at a totally different place than how it began. A track examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating in digital cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before sudden traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album involves straddling the gap between bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has become her highest-charting work to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly catchy pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets echoed on a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, weaving multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, theatrical drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires patience to completely mine but never feels like a chore. Where some big pop albums of 2025 seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a sumptuous banquet where the characters at the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from music's most endlessly creative practitioner.
