Amidst affair rumors regarding her relationship with actor Ethan Slater and a fresh divorce, Ariana Grande released her seventh album, “Eternal Sunshine.” While her rocky romance history has been the center of controversy, she showcases her ability to turn these relationships into a vulnerable yet catchy album.
The album opens with “intro (end of the world)” which utilizes the signature glossy vocals Grande’s fans have grown accustomed to. The track is a brief one minute and 32 seconds, and is a mellow contrast to her lead single “yes, and?”. The conciseness of this track is reminiscent of the short intro tracks for Grande’s previous albums “My Everything” and “Sweetener.”
While “intro (end of the world)” was the first track on the album, the album did not seem to truly begin until track two, “bye.” This song is a powerful anthem about finally ending a relationship. Its classic pop-sounds make this track feel like a close relative to “yes, and?”
The third track, “don’t wanna break up again,” immediately stands-out on the album. Like the majority of songs on “Eternal Sunshine,” this track addresses Grande’s previous relationship problems. The chorus of the song is smooth and captivating, but has a weak bridge that disrupts its flow.
Following “don’t wanna break up again” is a track called “Saturn Returns Interlude,” in which a woman explains the personal growth that happens during an astrological phenomenon known as “the Saturn cycle.” The track is about as appealing as a 42 second spoken-word interlude can be, but it does serve as an emotional build up to the album’s title track.
The album’s title track has an emotional start, with sounds of Grande’s laughter fading in the background as she takes a sigh before beginning the first verse, “I don’t care what people say, we both know I couldn’t change you.” Grande immediately sets the tone of the song with lyrics that justify the unfortunate end of a close relationship, likely referring to her divorce with real estate broker Dalton Gomez. The song’s production is evocative of “in my head” off of Grande’s fifth album, “thank you, next.” However, the lyrics of “Eternal Sunshine” offer a much more somber tone.
The seventh track, “supernatural,” feels like a positive light in the midst of heartbreak songs. Lyrics like “This love’s possessing me, but I don’t mind at all,” fill the song with a sense of hope and excitement–a stark contrast to the resentment depicted in its predecessors.
Unfortunately, “Eternal Sunshine” takes a dip in quality at track eight. “True story” lacks the catchiness that songs like “bye” succeeded with. “The boy is mine” and “yes, and?” struggle to capture an emotional depth that is up to par with the rest of the album. Songs like “Eternal Sunshine” proved that it is possible to make an up-beat pop song while portraying deep emotions, whereas “the boy is mine” and “yes, and?” simply fail to do.
After these three weak tracks, the album reaches its peak with the song, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love).” The song has a melodious chorus that culminates in an emotional bridge. This song is well-deserving of its position as Grande’s second single and longest track on the album.
“I wish I hated you” and “imperfect for you” are some of the track’s most vulnerable songs. After these two tracks, “Eternal Sunshine” reaches its final track “ordinary things (feat. Nonna).” This track ends the album on a positive note, about a relationship with someone who makes mundane interesting. The album ends with a voiceover of Grande’s grandma, referred to as Nonna, who explains that the best person is someone who makes ordinary things special–hence the lyrics, “There’s never gonna be an ordinary thing with you.”
Ultimately, “Eternal Sunshine” is full of choruses that will be stuck in listeners’ heads on loop. Where the album falls short is its length. While songs such as “don’t wanna break up again” and “supernatural” have outstanding choruses, their brief length makes them unfortunately forgettable. Despite there being only 35 minutes for thirteen songs, “Eternal Sunshine” is a beautiful album.
