Álvaro Díaz’s artistic evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. The Puerto Rican rapper heard on 2020’s hip-hop-centred Diaz Antes sounded little like the 2.0 version on his innovative and inventive 2021 follow-up Felicilandia. His now-established penchant for pop-wise productions and futuristic forms carries on with SAYONARA, an album that finds him on the cutting edge of reggaetón, among other styles. At a time when the pervasive dembow thump in Latin music can feel a bit too formulaic, he brings a freshness to the format on cuts like “KAWA” and the Quevedo team-up “QUIZÁS SI QUIZÁS NO”. He has obvious reverence for his pioneering predecessors, evident on the homage-heavy Feid collab “GATITAS SANDUNGUERAS VOL.1”, but he’s not beholden to genre norms: The beat switches on “EN PR NO HACE FRÍO” and “SIN PODERES” feel surprisingly natural, a testament to his ability to navigate shifting sonic environs. Further departures such as “QUIÉN TE QUIERE COMO EL NENE” and the balladic “YOKO” only add to his growing mystique.