Singer Ariana Grande has dealt with her breakups before in her previous albums.
Sweetener (2018) and Positions (2020) come to mind.
However, Grande’s latest album titled, Eternal Sunshine, takes a different approach — a much quieter and more mature album shown through darker emotions from an older, more experienced perspective, making it one of her best records yet.
At 35 minutes and 32 seconds, Grande’s latest comprises 13 songs, all of which addresses the collapse of her relationships and the birth of new ones.
In a Thursday, March 7 interview with Jim Carrey, Grande said the album was inspired by the 2004 Michel Gondry romantic comedy film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” she makes constant reference to the movie not only in her album title, but also throughout much of her tracks.
The first one, “Intro (end of the world),” starts off with the bold lyrics, “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”, establishing the concept of the entire album about her divorce from Dalton Gomez after three years on Tuesday, March 19 and personal matters. The rest of the album continues to revolve around this theme that eventually answers the question she asks in the beginning of the song.
Compared to Positions, which carried a more R&B vibe, Eternal Sunshine has a lot of pop elements and much more of a fresh musical feel. It works as a cohesive album with the musical theater element adding to the clear storytelling centered on finding new love.
Grande also matures into experimenting with different sounds. “Bye” delivers a retro feel to the album with its disco influence through its vintage vibe, adding to the personal, authentic feel of the album.
Eternal Sunshine has an instrumental track that feels reminiscent of Positions, but the lyrics are much more well-produced and meaningful. The song mirrors the movie’s plot in that it creates a cold, yet very romantic ambience for listeners. Grande’s well-known ability to convey a spectrum of ranges with her voice amplifies this effect throughout.
Grande worked on R&B records in the past such as “POV” or “R.E.M,” but “True Story” and “The Boy is Mine” are truly one of her best R&B works. Both songs were written alongside her leaked song, “Fantasize,” which was a hit on TikTok but was later scrapped. These two songs show off her traditional sassy and bold lyrics — but it feels catchier as if she’s demanding attention.
Before the release of Eternal Sunshine on Friday, March 8, Grande put out her lead single, “Yes, and?” on Friday, Jan. 12. That explains why it sounds significantly different from the other tracks.
On the album, “Yes, and?” appears as the 9th track. which features a more upbeat and fun vibe; nevertheless, it sounds out of place. The song could’ve worked better if it were added as one of the four additional bonus tracks on the digital deluxe version, called Slightly Deluxe, a surprise release on Grande’s web store two days after the initial release of the album.
Tying the entire album together, the last track, “Ordinary Things (feat. Nonna)” finally answers the question Grande asks in the beginning: “How do I know if I’m in the right relationship?” It’s more of a ballad in which the singer addresses not needing superficial things as long as someone’s around the right person. Combined with Grande’s mature lyrics, she ends the album with her grandmother, whom she calls Nonna, advising Grande — it feels like a comforting ending to the bittersweet album.
This latest work for Grande unveils a mature and cohesive album that truly feels like a musical ray of sunshine.
