"Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead" album review

Ariana Grande has officially left Oz and is on her way to the Billboard Charts with the release of “Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead.”

Grande has added six new tracks to the “Eternal Sunshine” story, including an extended version of the album’s intro.

The new songs complete the story of the original album, while also adding Grande’s newly healed perspective.

“intro (end of the world) - extended”

One thing Grande has mastered throughout her last seven albums is a good intro.

This extended opener keeps the same emotions as the original while answering all of the questions Grande first asked when feeling unloved in her relationship.

In the original chorus, Grande questions the entire meaning of her relationship and her partner’s commitment: “If the sun refused to shine, Baby, would I still be your lover?”

Now she has a clearer understanding with these lyrics in the extended version: “Now you're long gone in Cali, oh me, I’m still unpacking why I even allowed you on the flight.”

The new melody plays along with the confusion and heartache of longing for your partner to change, but ultimately knowing deep down the relationship would never work out.

“twilight zone”

Picking up the tempo with a new song similar to “bye” and “supernatural,” “twilight zone” takes fans on an adventure of healing and acceptance.

Produced by Grande herself, as well as Max Martin and ILYA, this track shows the emotional growth the Wicked Star went through after analyzing the depth of her past relationship.

Grande always alludes to her favorite shows and movies, with the album being inspired by “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and this song paying homage to “The Twilight Zone.”

The song references black-and-white scenes, nightmares, and different dimensions, which are recurring themes in the TV series.

This theme is comparable to Grande’s past relationship, as it was such an impactful moment in her life, she questions if the whole experience was real.

“warm”

Ariana Grande, you did it yet again.

“Warm” is exactly what fans needed to gear up for this summer.

This soft-pop song is the perfect affirmational song for your sunny day drive to the beach.

At this point of Grande’s journey, she has accepted herself entirely. Fully encapsulating the idea of loving yourself before loving anyone else.

Singing, “‘Cause I’m cool, On my own, But it’s warmer, In your arms,” Grande expresses her readiness to share her life with someone while also embracing her independence.

Grande also pokes fun at the viral Wicked meme of “holding space” with the lyric, “Can you hold the space I require or will you turn the page, the page?”

“dandelion”

Glinda is no more, as Ariana Grande gives the fans what they want and is in full pop mode with “dandelion.”

This song takes lots of inspiration from her past singles “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” and “nasty.”

The track has an extremely confident and enticing melody and beat with Grande comparing herself to a dandelion and granting whatever wish her partner desires.

Her wordplay gets clever on this deluxe track with the line, “Boy just don’t blow this, Got me like ‘What’s your wishlist,’” as she makes the dandelion comparison.

And can we take a moment for the song's intro?

The trumpet, in the beginning, pulls listeners in and is a complete 180 from the previous tracks on the deluxe.

“dandelion” is like the sister song to “the boy is mine,” with the same possessive feeling.

While this is an amazing track itself, it feels more like it should’ve been on one of Grande’s older albums and feels out of place on the deluxe tracklist.

“past life”

Truly, one of the most underrated and deep songs on this deluxe tracklist is “past life.”

This song perfectly fits the entire theme of the album.

It emphasizes the idea of not having a common understanding with your partner and leaving them in the past, or erasing them from your mind, like in the “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” music video.

The lyrics “I used to think you were the medicine, but you were just code blue,” reflect Grande’s yearning for this person and thinking they were helping her, when in reality they were bringing her down.

In the chorus, Grande explains that her past lover had a false perception of her capabilities and used this relationship as a learned lesson. She is ready to leave that relationship in the past.

“Hampstead”

“Hampstead” is the perfect closing to this album’s era and perfectly sums up Grande’s journey and where she is currently at in life.

Grande recently took a shift in her career as she dedicated herself to Wicked. While filming, she lived in Hampstead.

She kept her life very private during this time and “Hampstead” is a response to the public on all of the assumptions created about her.

Grande explains that everything said about her is far from the truth which is why she refrains from sharing anything at all, singing “You think you’ve read the book I’m still writing, I can’t imagine wanting so badly to be right.”

She also references her song “pov” which is about feeling so loved by a person and wanting to see yourself the way they see you.

This is completely contradicted as she now sings, “I’d rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view.” Further showing Grande’s growth between monumental points of her life.

The song fades out into an acapella version with Grande’s raw vocals. This vulnerable moment showcases the completion of this album and the concluding navigation of her love story.

Rating: 9.8/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Song: “Hampstead”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “dandelion”

Underrated Song: “past life”

Song That Should Have Made The Original Cut: “twilight zone”

Natalee Bravo is a first-year majoring in digital & print journalism. To contact her, email nbb5612@psu.edu.