A month after the release of Ariana Grande’s much anticipated new album, eternal sunshine, I have finally gathered my thoughts on the album. Overall, the album is greatly overhyped and does not live up to the expectations.
Many friends claimed that Ariana’s new album is amazing and a must-listen. As a result, I broke out my Sony headphones for the occasion, but the album is definitely not worth the hype it has received over the past few weeks.
Overall, the songs themselves are too short. In total, the album is only thirty-five minutes long, with only four of the songs being longer than three minutes, which is criminally short. In addition, the lyrics were generic and unoriginal, essentially expressing what other artists have in their music but without the flair. This album feels like any other pop album as there is nothing strictly creative about it.
I had high hopes when I started the album since I enjoyed “Intro (end of the world)” as it set the mood for the album. This is followed up by “Bye,” a groovy breakup song, which has great vibes.
After “Bye,” it all went downhill with “don’t wanna break up again” which is quite bland. The next song was “Saturn Return Interlude,” which did not stand out to me, but I am not a fan of interludes as a whole. The interlude leads directly into the next song “eternal sunshine.” The song had a general rap beat but is weak for the title track of the album. When I think of iconic title tracks like Harry Styles’ “Fine Line” or Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” and “Speak Now,” “eternal sunshine” is not on that level.
The next song, “supernatural,” has a strong chorus, but overall it is forgettable. Then, listeners encounter “true story,” which sounds different from the other songs, as it has a darker feel. Still, it is not being added to my liked songs or any of my playlists.
The next song, “the boy is mine,” has a sensual rhythm. However, it is kind of unsettling once you realize it’s about Ethan Slater. With the layered harmonies, it is a typical Ariana song.
The following song is the prerelease single, “yes, and?” which broke the internet. When it first came out, I was not a fan. Ariana does not say anything other than “ooooo” until fifty seconds into the song, so it feels like a great song for an 80s Zumba class. Overall, this song is one of this album’s worst since it has a horrendous bridge.
Now, listeners come to one of the fan favorites of the album, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love).” Other than the title being too long, the song is one of my favorites. The song is incredibly groovy, and I love the little details in the song. This song is a great example of building energy into the chorus with big synths in the background which reminds me of “Maniac” by Conan Gray.
Grande transitions to some slower songs, starting with “i wish i hated you”. This song is no different from all other break-up songs, but in particular, it reminds me of “hate you” by Jungkook. This song is odd because it is supposed to be one of the saddest songs on the album, but the instrumental is not conveying sadness. Another slow song, “imperfect for you,” was unexpectedly one of my favorites. I loved the verse and pre-chorus, so I quickly added this one to my liked songs.
The final track on the album, “ordinary things (feat. Nonna),” was a lackluster ending. The song was forgettable, but I did like ending with a voice recording because it reminded me of the “Cherry” voicemail from Harry Styles.
Overall, the album does not live up to the hype, as most of the songs are forgettable. Ariana is being innovative with her songs and focuses on themes that are found throughout the industry currently. A number of songs on the album reminded me of other popular songs. While the album did have some good songs, as a whole, it is a miss in my book. I expected more for Ariana’s grand return album after her divorce and the Ethan Slater scandal.