NEW YORK — Miguel is getting to the bottom of things.
The singer has been interrogating his life, which has unfolded in more ways than one since the last time fans heard an album from the R&B crooner, whose hits like "Sure Thing" and "Adorn" endeared him to the certified lovers.
His fifth studio album, "Caos" (out now), comes eight years since his last, 2017's "War & Leisure." A sonic investigation wrapped in an end-of-the-world rave groove, "Caos" marks an aggressive, hedonistic departure from the flirtations and playful sensuality of his previous records.
"The sound of the album was very much inspired by that nonlinear kind of aggressive tone that I think, at least personally, I've had to take with myself and really get to the bottom of things," Miguel tells USA TODAY. "It's not an easy or happy or romantic process. I think it takes a lot of consideration. The album is the most aggressive body of work that I put together, but not without tenderness and not without real introspection. And I think that balance is what I was looking for."
Where songs like "How Many Drinks?" or "Come Through and Chill" offered a wink and a nod, "Caos" is a mosh pit mixed with a tender hug. "My music … has primarily leaned into the beauty of things. And this was about the ugliness and the challenges," says Miguel, who turns 40 the day "Caos" releases.
