Initially, this work could seem closer to an arduous scholarly challenge rather than a new popular music album from a musician whose previous hit featured a global K-pop icon. Divided into four different movements and performed in thirteen languages, this is a breathtaking symphonic work that delves into feminine mystery, religious transcendence, and physical change, often through the prism of various women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic treated with raw openness on another major 2025 album—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from an award-winning composer within a vast roll call of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars appear rather laughable.
Rising Above Academic Exercise
That this album succeeds in escape overly intellectual chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with sole praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not her first project to blend historical sounds and modern styles, its ambitions feel much higher here, with the balancing act more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. When she's breaking hearts in two, you still want to be alongside her for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant energy shines clearly on the stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with comedic impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic single featuring galloping orchestration, a powerful choir, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener rarely exactly understand—or even wish to predict—what it is going next."
Nearly each song ends in a completely distinct point from where it began. A track explores the fleeting trappings of fame with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls her earlier trap-infused work starts off dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic chorus enter to soften the song's rough corners.
The Balance Of Art & Pop
Another crucial achievement of the album involves navigating the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her first release to crack the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. This feat is echoed by a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, weaving layered tunes like an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a storybook figure hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for high artistry in an era of impending artificial sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its built-in ridiculousness. This is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires time to fully mine but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager scraps, this record is a lavish feast where the characters at the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy wine, flutter from conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's truly endlessly creative visionary.
