eternal sunshine - Ariana Grande: Review

Review by Lav:

Ariana Grande ended the 2010s one an absolutely spectacular streak. Her 4th and 5th albums Sweetener and thank u, next were released in quick succession and contained not just her best material to date but some of the best songs any mainstream pop star had to offer. While doing it she also elevated her stardom from pop famous to absolute superstardom on the back of hit after hit after hit. She followed those albums up with the far hornier Positions in 2020. While the record did fit right in with the pandemic going on around it, Positions didn't have the caliber of songs or hits as its predecessors. If you were worried about eternal sunshine suffering from the same fate, Ariana Grande doesn't double down on her mistakes. 

I've seen some bonified pop critics whose opinions I admire treat this album's lead single yes, and? like it isn't special, and I just don't understand that. The song is straight up worship of Madonna's Vogue and maybe it's because I love Madonna so much but I find this track irresistible. The song's dance beat is an instantaneous hit with me and the slick attitude is only matched by the impossibly slick refrains. The song sort of set a president for the entire record, the being that it's at its best while overflowing with confidence. 

bye is the first full song on the record and what a way to kick it off proper. Not only is it one of the catchiest songs here but it does a lot to set the album up thematically as Ari addresses her breakup throughout. The song feels like a launching point for so much of the romantic angst and internal processing that the album handles while also sounding great in its own right. The momentum stays up on the next track don't wanna break up again. The song has an interesting sentiment and I love the idea that Ari is caught up in a situationship that should probably end for good but she just can't pull the trigger. Even more importantly, her vocal performance on the hook is absolutely pitch-perfect and yet another spectacularly catchy moment. 

Later on the record, Ari drops true story which bizarrely sounds like it borrows the hook from Ruben Studdard's Sorry 2004. It has one of those punchy, slightly disjointed R&B instrumentals that normally male singers jump on to get out song Cry Me A River-type revenge fantasy. Ariana holds up just fine by "playing the bad girl" but still coming out on top with an ire that feels fully justified. Unsurprisingly, the R&B vibes come again on the boy is mine, a re-imagining of the Monica and Brandy song of the same name. It's a bold move but despite my reservations going into the song I kind of like what she does with it. My only real issue with the track is how strange it feels for Ari to borrow so much from someone else's writing in the middle of an album that's so personal. 

Speaking of borrowing, we can't be friends is one of the most transparent attempts I've ever seen to remake Robyn's Dancing On My Own. It's a similarly somber ballad that is dancy despite it all, though the subject matter is at least focused elsewhere. The conclusion also isn't quite as pointed, but when you try and remake one of the greatest pop songs of all time I guess that's what you get. The album also ends on a pretty strong note though. imperfect for you is the best of the ballads here with a trap beat that works better than the others on the album. I love the slow pacing of the song and the way it slips so flawlessly from the verses into a dreamy and infectious chorus. It's a combination of sweet and vulnerable that I absolutely love. I also think the closing track ordinary things is solid. Despite not being quite as catchy as some other moments on the album it's a pretty welcome rise in energy for the finale.

I think the title track eternal sunshine is definitely a whiff. It features one of the weakest instrumentals on the record with a bad trap beat. But even worse is the lyric "play me like Atari" which just sounds so forced coming out of Ariana Grande's mouth. The hook is decent but I think it actually works to paint Ari in a kind of bad light thematically. Speaking of good hooks on otherwise not great songs, supernatural is cloudy and imprecise throughout the entire song with Ari hovering so far over everything else in the song it feels detached. Finally, there's i wish i hated you which is the lowest impact song on the album even as it's pretty thematically important. I would argue the song is a little bit TOO blunt really just telling you straight up with no metaphor whatsoever. 

eternal sunshine doesn't have the consistent caliber of songwriting as an album like thank u, next. But it stands alongside that record as Ariana Grande's most thematically cohesive release yet, despite having DRASTICALLY different subject matter. What she delivers on this record is an impressive variety of meditations on relationships that feel earned and well-executed. She queries from some of the great pop hits of generations past but never sinks so deep into imitation that she loses her own style. The record that results once again proves why Ariana Grande has an advantage of her contemporaries. Her poise and polish are surely going to make this one of the better mainstream pop records of 2024. 7.5/10

For more pop check out my review of Kali Uchis ORQUEDIAS