“eternal sunshine” is the seventh studio album by musician Ariana Grande. This album is a mix of pop and contemporary R&B that intertwines the two genres seamlessly. Grande herself referred to the romance of the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” to be an influence of the album. Grande’s personal life has been heavily discussed in the public eye as of late with the divorce of her husband of two years, her leaving her longtime manager, and her new relationship with a co-star at the forefront of these conversations. Grande seems to address these items of discussion throughout this album, filled with heartache and hope. This is her first album in three years since the release of her album “Positions” in 2020.
Album Highs
Grande's vocals stun throughout the entire album. Grande switches seamlessly through different tones throughout. She begins with more feathery vocals with dance pop beats in songs like “bye” and “yes, and?” to more melodic softer tones in “imperfect for you.” Even with the change in melodic feelings, each song Grande sings on features impeccable vocal arrangements.
Every song is easy to get addicted to, from catchy beats and lyrics like “Bye-bye, boy bye” repeated with an electronic beat to emotionally gut wrenching songs like “we can't be friends (wait for your love)” with lyrics like “we can't be friends, but i'd like to just pretend. You cling to your papers and pen, wait until you like me again,” with the same electronic type beat, but more emotion in the lyrics. Each song carries a different emotional weight within the lyrics, making this album special, by telling a completely looping story that you'll get lost in.
Album Lows
While this album is more cohesive than previous ones, the disconnect between songs in the album is jarring at points. "Saturn Returns Interlude" and "yes, and?" seem to split the album into three different parts of a full story. From a storytelling aspect, it’s amazing how the story is put together, but the different vibes throughout make it seem disjointed listening to it as an entire album.
The first part of the album, “intro (end of the world),” “bye,” and “don’t wanna break up again," all sound the same melodically and give the same story of love and loss through the lyrics. Then moving into “Saturn Returns Interlude,” it is completely different from previous songs, being entirely spoken, by someone who sounds different than Grande. The speaker says, “When we're all born, Saturn's somewhere, and the Saturn cycle takes about 29 years, that's when we’ve gotta wake up and smell the coffee.” This refers to Grande's age while writing the album, and the major changes she went through in this period.
“Saturn Returns Interlude” acts as a break to move us into the new part of this story with the songs “eternal sunshine,” “supernatural,” “true story,” and “the boy is mine” setting the tone of new beginnings in the lyrics. With the song “yes, and?” the placement of this song is almost used as a stopping point (and making a point) that everyone should mind their business, and worry about their own relationships.
Then going into the last part of the album with “we can’t be friends (wait for your love),” “i wish i hated you,” “imperfect for you,” and “ordinary things (feat. Nonna),” it almost feels like a conclusion of one story and a continuation of the other. The last song does a great job wrapping up the first part of the album and bringing the story into full swing again, like you're opening the book to read again. As a concept album, I think the album fits really well together if you listen to the whole story - rather than a strictly cohesive album.
Verdict
This album coming in at 35 minutes 33 seconds long is a perfect binge listen for anyone who loves Grande, or wants to start listening to her. Each song is filled with emotion and attitude that makes each song hit perfectly for its lyrics. The album puts together a story you can listen to on a loop, that impresses each time you listen.
I give "eternal sunshine" a 9 out of 10.
