by George Awkard ’25

The era of Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande began with a cryptic Instagram post on December 7 of Grande in the studio, leaving fans curious about what Grande had in store after not hearing anything new for four years. She announced the release date on her Instagram with three covers on January 17. Grande also released the music video for her single, “yes, and?” which took inspiration from Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted” music video.

This album begins with “intro (end of the world),” one of the more vulnerable tracks. Listeners can immediately tell what kind of album this is, one that is filled with emotions and a lot of personal experiences. The instruments come together extremely well and are a perfect way to start the album. She then segues into “bye” which is my favorite and the most promising hit track and will most likely be boosted into the mainstream, as it has the catchiest chorus and the most upbeat instrumental. The album then transitions into “don’t wanna break up again” in which the melodies are almost able to transport you to another place and features yet another catchy chorus.

“Saturn Returns Interlude” introduces a new chapter in this Grande. The next track, “true story,” features one of the most hypnotizing instrumentals and Grande’s best vocal performances and harmony-building in this album. The back half of this album has a few forgettable tracks that aren’t Grande’s best work and get lost when you compare them to others. These tracks include, “imperfect for you,” “ordialbum where Grande is finally able to move on. It is the perfect progression to the title track, “eternal sunshine,” This track explores new genres as the instrumental leans more towards R&B instead of pop which elevates the track to a new level. This new chapter also includes the track “supernatural,” which is a one-of-a-kind vocal performance from nary things” and “i wish i hated you,” though they do tell the story of her relationship with a new person after a harsh breakup and how she moves on, These tracks are more or less skips because they don’t immerse you into the album as well as the others. However, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” encapsulates the album extremely well and deserves to be the highlight of the album–the instrumental of this track is extremely pleasing to the ears and tells the story of her new relationship.

Eternal Sunshine is an album of ups and downs but after 4 years of absence, listeners get an intimate look at what Grande has been feeling. Whether you want to know it or not, she tells you through her lyrics what she’s been feeling.