On Oct. 14 at noon, Ariana Grande broke the internet with 10 words over Twitter, stating, “I can’t wait to give you my album this month.” Just one week later, the pop star released Positions—her album’s titular single—right after the second and final presidential debate. The accompanying music video could not be more apt to surrounding world events, following Grande through the halls of the White House as the words “switchin’ them positions for you” seem to take on a new meaning of defying typical gender roles.
However, “Positions” and its video were just the beginning. Having released two record-breaking albums over the course of less than a year, Grande continues her grind with a late-quarantine 41 minute R&B album. She released the song’s whopping 14 song tracklist on Saturday over Twitter, leaving fans to wait another week until dropping the album itself. The pandemic has seen numerous artists turn to music-making from home. This includes pop scene competitors Selena Gomez’s Rare and Taylor Swift’s surprise album folklore, as well as more alternative artists such as Hayley Williams’ solo debut Petals for Armor and Twenty One Pilots’ isolation-themed single “Level of Concern.” While dropping an album on a whim is nothing new in the world of quarantine promotional tactics, Grande continues to shock fans with a genre switch that could be even more radical than Swift’s more indie-inclined surprise album.
Positions marks a significant departure from her traditional sonic style, abandoning typical pop sensibilities for a more mature neo-soul sound. This change in genre is not from a production upheaval—Grande remains in the hands of her favored producer Tommy Brown—but a more nuanced change in lineup. Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, the Swedish producers behind beloved pop staples such as “God is a Woman” and more, are absent from Positions. Another notable production change is the lack of collaboration with Pharrell Williams, who spearheaded Sweetener’s production and was featured on the track “blazed.” The resulting vibe surrounding the sounds of Positions is one of relaxed tempo, sparse instrumentation and swinging R&B influence.
Ariana carries this newfound maturity into the album’s lyrical content, full of openly sensual lyrics and innuendos. She also shies away from her usual radical vulnerability—evident in Sweetener’s mental health discussions and “thank u, next”’s breakup details—favoring a more playful tone. Some reviews have found this new lyrical take underwhelming and dull, criticizing the artist for songs that feel “half-realized,” while others argue that the sexual content of the album is empowering and “all in the service of monogamous devotion.” This perhaps speaks to a greater conversation of new-wave feminism—one that is reclaiming the position of a housewife and strives to find meaning in femininity rather than rejecting it.
While Grande has always held a prominent position at the forefront of such a discussion, she does so more boldly than ever on Positions and its promotional music video. Whether the album’s lyrical content is dull or pioneering, Grande’s new tracks offer a reinvention of the Top 40 genre in sound and presentation alike.
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