In her seventh studio album “Eternal Sunshine,” Ariana Grande presents an introspective and candor exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery. Listeners navigate through the track-list much like a diary of emotions that is scribbled with the sorrows, gratifications, and complexities of human connection.
In this new installment, Grande creates a stark difference against her previous album Positions, which offered us a sensual and beamish glimpse into her relationship with her now ex-husband Dalton Gomez. While her muse remains the same, the atmosphere and relationship have changed.
The album is one of Grande’s many collaborations with the renowned Swedish songwriter and producer, Max Martin. Their musical partnership has resulted in several chart-topping hits by blending Grande’s champion vocal range with Martin’s seasoned production skills. While their work together is not new, this album feels different than their previous projects.
In the album’s opening track, “Intro (End of the World),” Grande sings hauntingly and takes us on a journey to the end of her world—or at least what she believes to be the end.
The next three tracks take us into the first stage of this album, denial and uncertainty. Track two, “Bye,” Grande sings confidently about letting go, but the next track, “Don’t Wanna Break Up Again,” immediately challenges her perceived sureness. Although aware of the jaded nature of love between them, she unveils a dissonance that she can’t help but feel; wanting to let go of someone who doesn’t treat you right, but being unable to let go because you don’t want to give up on them.
In the album’s interlude, Grande, now 30, includes a sample from astrologer Diana Garland’s YouTube video on the significance of age 29. Saturn, she explains, nudges us to wake up and discover our true selves. Almost as a response to the interlude, the title track offers a pivotal moment for the album and introduces the next stage, acceptance.
Following the whimsical sonic tapestry of “Supernatural,” the middle of the album offers an atmosphere that creates a beat infused bliss and also presents some of the project’s most aggressive tracks which discuss the controversial topic of her and current partner, Ethan Slater’s, relationship.
In the final four installments I encountered two of my top three tracks from this album, the first being, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” Alluding to the 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” where two former lovers undergo a procedure to erase memories of each other after a painful breakup, the song has an undeniable musicality that pairs the sorrowful lyricism of Grande with the nostalgic feeling of a 2010s pop anthem.
The album’s finale, “Ordinary Things,” is just that, in the best possible way. It serves as a reminder that redamancy opens up the most simple aspects of life and fills them with love and that the ability to experience pleasures in the mundane is what makes a connection extraordinary.
Overall, this album was an insightful and cohesive piece of art that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to which left me excited to revisit. Being a long-time fan of Grande, this project felt fresh and personal, less loud and showy than her previous works. It offers an additional dimension and new range of artistic ability and transparency to a singer who has created and maintained a presence as a generational pop icon.
