At first glance, this album might appear closer to a challenging university examination rather than a new popular music project from an artist who just had a previous hit was a collaboration with an international pop star. Split across 4 different parts and voiced in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning symphonic opus exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical transformation, frequently via the prism of different female saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars seem quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, and sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, the ambitions are much greater here, with the tightrope walk more precarious. What really raises her fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained theatricality, is a core spirit of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her height, you find a wondrous sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, you nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly on a stirring Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Suddenly, everything drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish impact. The track immediately segues to the wild track featuring galloping orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album is that the listener rarely quite know—nor want to know—what you is going to next."
Almost every song concludes in a completely distinct place than how it began. A track explores the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into digital cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins off moody and sinister, featuring prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Art and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and broad appeal. It is no surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a suite of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spirals skyward. This feat gets repeated on a different expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You've the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting a dramatic drama that masterfully controls its inherent ridiculousness. It is a deep well of hidden treasure that requires patience to completely mine but never feels like hard work. While some major pop albums of 2025 seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, perhaps intoxicated on holy drink, flutter between discussions about ancient saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about useless men. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
