I remember about 10 years ago, one of my little cousins named Ryan(shout out to you, Ryan, if you are reading this)asserted that Ariana Grande was one of the best artists in the world and a GOAT in Pop music. At the time, my siblings and I kind of scoffed at this notion and thought it was silly. I think Ryan may have predicted the future, though, because Ariana has been on an incredible run since this point as a musician. There is not a lot I can say about Ariana that has not already been said. Ariana has been in the public spotlight for so long that pretty much everyone knows about her. For better or for worse, she has been a mainstay in pop culture since she was a teenager. Due to her massive success as an actress on Nickelodeon and her incredible music career after this(and due to the several high-profile relationships she has been in), Ariana has been a part of so many people’s lives for a very long time. Ariana has been a massively successful Pop artist since the early 2010s. Her debut album 2013’s Yours Truly, put her in rare air from the start, as she was the fifth female artist to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their first album. Her next two records, 2014’s My Everything and 2016’s Dangerous Woman, cemented her as one of the queens of Pop music. As good as her first three albums were, Ariana truly came into her own with her next three releases. 2018’s Sweetener, 2019’s Thank U, Next, and 2020’s Positions, all broke streaming records; these three albums made her one of the most popular artists in the world in any genre and made her one of the most successful Pop artists of all time. All three of these albums are truly excellent in their own way, and they prove that there is no limit to what she can do because of her immense talent. After a 4 year break in which she focused on her personal life and returned to acting, Ariana Grande has finally released her seventh studio album, eternal sunshine. Unsurprisingly, this album has been very highly anticipated, as everyone wants to know if she can continue the magic she has had on her last three records. With all of that being said, here is how I feel about Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from eternal sunshine, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole.
‘intro(end of the world)’ is a lovely way to start eternal sunshine. The instrumental for this track is so sweet and light. There is beauty in its simplicity; its airy and bubbly feeling will put a smile on anyone’s face when they listen to it. This calm and lowkey instrumental is driven by a cheery guitar riff that is complemented by various synths and other string instruments, as well as soothing backing vocals from Ariana. There is no beat for this one, which I appreciate because it keeps the track delicate and puts the focus on Ariana’s vocals. As far as the vocals on ‘intro(end of the world),’ Ariana certainly doesn’t blow it away, but her performance does sound nice on this easy-going instrumental. Like the instrumental, Ariana’s vocals make me feel like I am floating when this track plays. On ‘intro(end of the world),’ Ariana is singing about blissfully falling in love, but being apprehensive to dive into another relationship due to the turmoil she has gone through with past partners. ‘bye’ immediately brings the energy level up to 10. After how soft the introduction track is, it is nice we are immediately ramping things up with this track. ‘bye’ has a retro sound that seems like it could have come out of the 1970s. This is a groovy R&B-infused Pop track that I could see artists like Donna Summer or Whitney Houston hopping on back in the day. The luscious and bright melody has a somewhat similar tone to the one on the first track, but unlike that one, this melody is not driven by a guitar. Instead, the main component of the melody for ‘bye’ is a piano riff, with this riff being complemented by saturated synths with a very triumphant, horn sound to them. The beat for this one has a distinct Disco music tone to it. As classic as the melody is, the beat takes this song’s old-school feeling over the top. ‘bye’ has a very fun sound that will get any dance floor jumping when it comes on. Ariana’s vocals are beautiful on this track. I love the high notes she hits on ‘bye,’ as they add to the joyous feeling of the track. On ‘bye,’ Ariana is asserting that her former relationship is over and that she is moving on with confidence from that partner. ‘don’t wanna break up again’ has a sound that almost feels like a slightly more modern version of the track before it. The melody for this one has a very similar tone to the one on the first couple of tracks. Instead of being driven by a piano, though, the melody for ‘don’t wanna break up again’ is primarily driven by fuzzy synths, which is one of the things that makes the song feel more modern. The beat for ‘don’t wanna break up again’ feels so 1990s. This song has a tempo and style that makes me think of artists like Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Destiny’s Child. Like it was on ‘bye,’ Ariana’s vocal performance on ‘don’t wanna break up again’ is great. The range on this song is awesome, and the flow she sings with keeps the track so fresh and fun. On ‘don’t wanna break up again,’ Ariana is singing about knowing that her current relationship is not working and is toxic, but not wanting to go through the heartbreak of leaving this person and being alone. Following this, we get the only interlude of the project, ‘Saturn Returns Interlude.’ In this brief piece, Ariana takes a sample from a video by Diana Garland(a famous astrological counselor and clairvoyant) who is talking about the cycles of Saturn. This sample is put over a soft yet ethereal and glitchy instrumental that sounds like it came from another dimension or world. She believes Saturn cycles through the zodiac and returns to its position over 30 years or so, and that these are phases in your life. It essentially means you can reset and restart every thirty years, and that you need to figure out what direction you are headed near the start of another cycle.
‘eternal sunshine’ is definitely the most current-sounding song on the project so far. There are even elements to the mix that almost give it a futuristic feeling. This song has the kind of energy that makes me think it’s going to be a smash hit. ‘eternal sunshine’ is a smooth and shimmery Pop-Trap song with such a cozy feeling and catchy sound. The melody for this one is driven by sweet, distorted synths that have an underwater quality to them and and complemented by a simple piano riff and various sound effects that have a video-game quality to them. The beat for ‘eternal sunshine’ for the most part has a pretty typical Pop-Trap tempo, but it does switch up during the bridge and take on a super glitchy rhythm. Once again, Ariana’s vocals on this song are superb. I especially like how she switches up her cadence throughout the track, as these changes in flow make the track dynamic. On ‘eternal sunshine,’ Ariana is singing about finding out about her ex cheating and dealing with all of their lies. She asserts that she is going to learn from this relationship instead of trying to suppress the memories. ‘supernatural’ returns to the retro R&B sound that we got on the track ‘don’t wanna break up again.’ Like that track, it immediately makes me think of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The melody for this one actually has a somewhat similar tone to the songs in front of it. This melody is a little more full and clean sounding, but I can totally hear the similarities. The thing that makes this melody stand out is the super saturated guitar riff that comes in and out. This guitar riff gives a level of emphasis to this track that I appreciate. Amazingly, ‘supernatural’ may have the best vocal performance of the record so far. The range she sings with on this track is incredible; also, the backing vocals and the way her vocals are mixed on this track are so intricate and vivacious. On ‘supernatural,’ Ariana is singing about finally getting over her past tumultuous relationship and starting to fall head over heels for someone new. I know I said that ‘don’t wanna break up again’ sounded like it could be inspired by artists like Destiny’s Child, but ‘true story’ takes that feeling and amplifies it by 1000. There is also something about this one that feels fresh and modern and well, though. ‘true story’ easily has the darkest sound of any track on the record so far. Instead of having a bright and pleasant tone like every song before it, the synths that drive this melody are super gloomy and downtrodden. This melody is driven by a very recognizable sample; the sample that provides the basis for ‘true story’ comes from ‘Cry Me A River’ by Justin Timberlake. I really like the distorted bass-heavy synths that drive this melody and beat and the way they are drowned in the more atmospheric synths that come in and out. Ariana’s vocal performances seem to keep getting better as the album moves along. ‘true story’ may be the strongest one yet, not only in the range Ariana sings with but also with the strength in her vocals. On ‘true story,’ Ariana sings about how she is ridiculed and gossiped about by the media and online. She is sick of people putting words into her mouth and assuming nasty things about her personality. ‘the boy is mine’ is an additional track that is obviously heavily inspired by late 1990s R&B music. It is the second song in a row with a super easy-to-track sample that drives the melody and overall instrumental. The sample and interpolation that drives this track should be extra apparent, as it contains the same title as Ariana’s version of the track(That song is ‘The Boy Is Mine’ by Brandy and Monica). Even though ‘the boy is mine’ is directly inspired by a 1990s track of the same name, the mix on this one is super fresh. I really enjoy the glitchy elements of the instrumental, as they make this track quirky and zestful. Ariana’s vocals are not as special on this one as they are on some of the other tracks from this record, but they are still more than solid. ‘the boy is mine’ is emerging as a fan favorite, and it is not tough to see why. ‘the boy is mine’ is considered a bad girl anthem. On this track, Ariana is singing about how as much as she thinks she should not dive into a new relationship because of the public perception of her, she can not help but fall for her new partner and devote herself to them. ‘yes, and?’ was the only single released in anticipation of eternal sunshine. I have to say, as much as the public seemed to love this one, it kind of underwhelmed me when I first heard it and got me slightly worried about how this record would go. Within the context of this tracklist, I enjoy and appreciate it a lot more. Its cheerful and radiant sound truly stands out after how murky the last two tracks were, and its energetic and high-key beat injects the record with spirit. Like so many other tracks on the album, Ariana’s vocals on ‘yes, and’ are larger-than-life. Even when I was not as into this song, I always knew I had to give props to the vocals. On ‘yes, and?’ Ariana sings about getting over yourself and being comfortable with who you are, regardless of what others may think of you.
Ariana pulls in the energy and calms things down on the track ‘we can’t be friends(wait for your love).’ This is a track that leans into a trend that has become popular in Pop music over the last few years. It has a New Wave Synth Pop sound that feels heavily influenced by the 1980s, similar to the music that artists like The Weekend have made popular over the last few years. I can also hear elements of the Alt-Pop music that was big at the beginning of the 2010s made by artists like Tegan and Sara or Chvrches as well. Although the melody for ‘we can’t be friends(wait for your love)’ is pretty warm, there is also something heavy about it. The way the melody is mixed and the way the beat hits gives this song a level of weight that makes it stand out on this album. This may be the most understated vocal performance of the record so far. The lack of expression on Ariana’s vocals plays into the heaviness of the track and makes it hit that much harder On ‘we can’t be friends(wait for your love),’ sings about being reluctant to dive into a new relationship because she knows how negative the public’s perception will be. She feels like she can never be herself because of how much she is constantly vilified. ‘i wish i hated you’ is the softest and laid-back song of the record. Even though this is definitely the most subdued song on eternal sunshine, it may also be the most powerful. The instrumental for ‘i wish i hated you’ is very straightforward. The whole instrumental consists of a twinkling synthetic keyboard riff that is complemented by other more full-sounding synths and backing vocals that come in and out. Like the instrumental, Ariana’s vocals on ‘i wish i hated you’ are bare and stripped back. The hushed nature of the vocals fits the instrumental perfectly, helping this song feel strong even though its sound is so restrained. In ‘i wish i hated you,’ Ariana Grande is singing about having trouble getting over her ex and wanting to completely move on. She wishes things in the relationship were nastier so it would be easier to completely shut her ex out of her mind. ‘imperfect for you’ has a sound that is unlike anything else on this album. In fact, it has a style of music that is unlike anything I have ever heard from Ariana. ‘imperfect for you’ is a guitar-driven Ballady Pop-Rock that makes me think of the mid-2000s. This song has a sound that is similar to the music artists like Train and Maroon 5 originally became famous for. Ariana released an acoustic version of this track on the deluxe version of the record, and as solid as the original is, I like this acoustic version better. I think Ariana’s vocals are a bit more poignant in the acoustic version, making the track hit me a bit harder. On ‘imperfect for you,’ Ariana states that she will always be there for her ex and that she is grateful for what they had even though it did not end well. Ariana Grande closes out eternal sunshine with ‘ordinary things(feat. Nonna).’ This is a joyous Pop-Trap track that has smash-hit written over it. The synth-driven melody is heavenly and blazing, and the Pop-Trap beat is bouncy and will get anyone bobbing their head when it comes on. Ariana’s vocals on this track are as breathtaking as ever, with the high notes she hits giving the track so much expression. On ‘ordinary things,’ Ariana Grande is singing about embracing her new relationship and being confident in her love for her new partner. Ariana’s Nonna comes in at the end of the track, giving words of encouragement and telling her to enjoy the little things in her relationship and fight for her partner. Ariana wanted to close out eternal sunshine on a positive and uplifting note, and she accomplished that with ‘ordinary things(feat. Nonna).’
After how well-received Ariana Grande’s last three albums were, there were always going to be lofty expectations of eternal sunshine. All three of those records were not only praised for Ariana’s amazing vocals and strong lyricism but also for the diversity and riskiness of the production on them. Now, eternal sunshine is a lot more tame sounding of an album than her previous three. This album has a pretty concise sonic theme. So many of the melodies are similar to each other, which makes the album flow together super well. Instead of focusing on creating an album full of eclectic sounds, Ariana focused on storytelling on this one. As good as her lyrics have been before this, Ariana’s pen game shines on eternal sunshine. She shows a level of vulnerability she has not shown in the past. Ariana’s vocals are better than ever on eternal sunshine as well. I think because the instrumentals are a bit less complicated, there is more attention than ever on Ariana’s exceptional vocal performances. eternal sunshine is not as boundary-pushing as some of Ariana’s other works, but that is okay. eternal sunshine is a high-quality Pop album where Ariana lets the listener into her mind in a way that she previously had not, and it proves she is still one of the best Pop artists in the world today.
EAST SIDE VIBES 