Review: Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine

Ariana Grande

Eternal Sunshine

Honest lyricism combined with bold production choices and Grande’s trademark falsetto makes for her most cohesive, enthralling and daring album yet.

“How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship” questions Ariana Grande on the opening line to her seventh album ‘Eternal Sunshine’. If there were doubts about just how direct Grande would be on addressing the wild speculation and obsession over her alleged infidelity, she’s quick to make clear, that she’s telling it all, and this time you’d better listen. 

She’s referencing what has been a whirlwind six months for the popstar, played out mostly in private but discussed by onlookers fervently in public. In 2021 Grande married estate agent Dalton Gomez. A relationship that had bloomed behind closed doors throughout the pandemic, last summer however it emerged that Grande and Gomez would be filing for divorce. Swiftly followed by reports revealing Grande was in a relationship with her new co-star Ethan Slater who had only recently fathered a child with his wife a year prior. His wife had been reportedly ‘blindsided’ by the news and their divorce was announced in the following days.

Despite representatives for Grande stressing that both couples had split before any new relationships flourished, the damage had already been done. In a matter of years, Grande had gone from the people's princess to public enemy number one. It’s a familiar pattern throughout the careers of female pop stars in which when they reach a seeming commercial and critical peak, the vultures, social media stans, and tabloids begin to tear them back down. See Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and at points Taylor Swift for precedent. 

For Grande, it seems the blood has been swirling in the water since 2020, following the underwhelming reception to her sixth album ‘positions’. It lacked the impact and acclaim of her previous five records. Universally seen as a rare misstep, as the case in pop it meant that any future issues would be hyper-focused on, which has been the case.

Sonically, ‘positions’ was an interesting turn for the star who moved from bombastic pop and R&B to something more experimental and low-fi, and whilst some would see the lukewarm reaction as a wobble and a reason to avert back to her chart-topping safety net, Grande has seemingly taken it as free reign for a musical reset on seventh record, ‘Eternal Sunshine’.

Lyrically, it sees Grande revealing all. Here she’s an open book who has been waiting to share her side of the story. However, what’s far more interesting than the gossip column inches that her words and rhymes will inevitably generate, is the fascinating production and melody decisions made across the album's thirteen tracks. The resulting record is Grande’s most cohesive, enthralling and daring album yet.

It’s daring because Grande is a seasoned professional when it comes to releasing a chart-friendly pop smash guaranteed to dominate the charts. We saw it with the album’s lead single, ‘yes, and?’ a sassy snap-back to the critics of her relationship status. This makes the revelation that the single is an outlier on what is mostly a stripped-back, mellow exploration of her emotions even more surprising.

For instance, ‘don’t want to break up again’ is a masterclass in vocal restraint, as Grande intelligently decides when to deploy her iconic falsetto. She uses it to highlight the emotional undertone and vulnerability of her lyrics rather than a chart-friendly catchy chorus or bombastic production. Here it’s paired with low-fi vintage percussion you’d find on a 90s R&B slow jam. Lyrically it's the most black-and-white she’s been about the turmoil in her life as she reveals her ex-husband would turn the TV up to drown out her tears, refused therapy and alludes to potential infidelity from his side.

Stripped back, trip-hop percussive beats paired with Grande’s angelic falsetto in place of a chorus is a technique that the pop star returns to throughout. Versions of the style appear on at least half of the record, noticeably on the title track ‘eternal sunshine’ alongside ‘true story’, ‘i wish i hated you’ and ‘imperfect for you’. It’s a clever method as it helps Grande achieve a rare feeling of cohesiveness on the album, whilst allowing the more intentionally grandiose earworms room to maximise their impact.

These are the gems of the albums. The delightful ‘Bye’ encapsulates the entirety of Grande’s career with its sugary sweet retro production echoing the style of pop Grande perfected on her debut ‘Yours Truly’ over a decade ago. What could easily have felt kitsch in another’s hands feels like a sentiment of earnest empowerment when delivered by Grande as she echoes Mariah Carey’s 90s back-catalogue.

The album isn’t all about setting the record straight. Grande is also keen to channel and celebrate the intense desire and joy she’s been experiencing. ‘Supernatural’ as the name suggests, uses spiritual analogies to depict an almost fantastical out-of-body sexual revelation. Sonically, pairing with acclaimed pop producer and regular collaborator Max Martin, the duo achieves this in the most fascinating ways. Grande’s voice is bent, distorted and layered to create a unique way of delivering perhaps the catchiest and most intriguing hook in the record.

‘The boy is mine’ takes a more literal and authoritative approach to the subject. Grande’s voice slows, accelerates, reverses and skips across the time signature on a track that feels as if it was unearthed from Destiny’s Child’s vault. She interpolates the Brandy and Monica 90s track of the same name on her self-proclaimed ‘bad girls anthem’, it’s controversial, salacious but crucially classic pop.

It however doesn’t compare to the shining crown of the record, ‘we can’t be friends (wait for your love)’. The track is an example of what Grande does best; create captivating, melodic and relatable emotive pop. Perhaps due to the scandals surrounding the release, her pedigree has been lost in the discussion, yet the track recenters your focus magnificently. It succeeds and surprises in equal measure as it escapes categorisations. It’s both a ballad and a ‘bop’ as Grande sings soft and slow against production that rapidly escalates into a feverish intensity that mirrors the dreamlike dilemma Grande is vocalising. 

Across a brisk but layered 35 minutes, Grande evokes the long-forgotten sonic elements of 90s soul and R&B, paying homage to Madonna, Destiny’s Child and Brandy to name just a few. The outcome is her most cohesive, bold and captivating record to date. By refusing to play it safe, Grande once again takes control of her sound and narrative with fascinating results. It may not be perfect, due to a few strange interlude decisions and a meandering finale, but it is enthralling and an exciting next step for Pop’s chief provocateur.

Rating: 8.7/10
Words: Philip Giouras