At first glance, this album might appear more like an arduous scholarly challenge rather than a new pop project from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with an international pop star. Broken across four distinct sections and performed in 13 languages, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged album investigating feminine mystique, religious ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently by way of the perspective of different saintly figures. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded openness on another major 2025 album—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast list of contributors. Its sheer ambition alone renders the work of other pop stars seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape dry academic posturing feels nearly miraculous, with full credit belonging to the artist. Although this is not the first time project to alchemize the past with the present, its scale feel far greater here, and the balancing act far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to stay alongside her through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful spirit comes forth clearly during a stunning Italian song about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over several minutes. Then, everything falls away, to reveal there's a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds down like cartoonish impact. The track then shifts to the frenetic single driven by racing strings, an imposing choir, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener never exactly understand—or even want to know—where it is going to next."
Almost each song ends in a totally different point from where it began. A track examines the transient trappings of fame with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style begins off moody and sinister, featuring prowling beats, before sudden flamenco rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has become her highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals upward. This feat gets echoed on a different powerful track that expands and constricts, intertwining layered melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a painted-on edge, like a storybook character hiding a knife: "Top prize in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. While some big releases of 2025 felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish feast where the guests around the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared stories about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
