Eve Macdonald
Ariana Grande showcases her unbreakable range in her latest record drop, Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead (2025).
Grande’s seventh album, Eternal Sunshine (2024), adds six new tracks. She traces the collapse of her marriage to Dalton Gomez alongside new love with co-star Ethan Slater.
Eternal Sunshine (2024) featured upbeat dance anthems ‘yes, and?’ and ‘bye’ – quickly becoming essential tracks for a summer of vibrant pop, among Chappel Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charlie XCX.
Brighter Days Ahead (2025) follows a similar narrative. The six-track story follows Ariana as she experiences the heartbreak of divorce and, through the healing of her partner, accepts her failed marriage through re-centring self-love.
Storytelling
Grande prefaces the deluxe edition with a scathing added verse to ‘intro’.
In a confessional tone, a breathy Grande mourns, “I’m still unpacking / why I even allowed you on the flight,’ haunted by her marriage’s end.” Meanwhile, the overlapping lines—”I broke your heart because you broke mine” and “I am the bad guy”—echo her anxieties, circling in the listener’s mind.
“I wish I could un-need you, so I did,” fades the song out on a hopeful note before track two begins.
Return of the Beat
A beat returns in ‘Twilight Zone,’ despite the candid vulnerability of the vocals. Grande reflects, “I just can’t believe you happened,” while confessing, “pretend these songs aren’t about you / hope this might be the last one”. ‘Twilight Zone’ is palpably raw. This song acts as a pointed finger to her ex.
There’s an instant tonal shift for track three, ‘warm’. A lively beat continues as Grande sings with a sigh, making this the most relaxed, easy-listening song on the album. Though tinged with post-marriage anxieties “can you hold the space I require”, the tone remains uplifting and light. This is due to her singing about how “it’s nice to unravel” and “it’s warmer in your arms”.
“Peripheral production is ethereal and dreamy”
Track four, ‘Dandelion’, brings back the sensuality we’re used to from Grande. Kicked off by a loose saxophone solo and trap undercurrents, the listener is transported to a dark club dancefloor. Ad-libs, harmonies, crisp clicks, and seductive lyrics—”you can get anything you’d like / can’t you see I bloom at night?” Grande creates a 90s R&B vibe that’s impossible not to dance to.
Closing the Chapter
By track five, Grande reclaims her worth. On ‘Past Life’, she belts bold lines like “might fuck around and elevate my expectations” and “I’m fine to leave you in a past life”.
‘Hampstead’ pushes back on the album’s title, nodding to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), where ex-lovers erase each other from memory.
“Possibly Grande’s best work yet”
In the title track, Grande declares, “I try to wipe my mind / just so I feel less insane,” yet by Brighter Days Ahead (2025), her outlook has shifted. Belting “I would rather feel everything than nothing, every time”, implies the embracing of her sentimental personality and the pain that shaped her journey.
The chapter of her divorce is closed in shattered sentiments of self reflection: “you think you’ve read the book I’m still writing”. She reminds the listener of her humanity.
Soundwaves
The influence of musical theatre, and that Glinda magic, is evident in her nuanced vocals. Grande sings pop melodies with impressive clarity and lightness, and endures an unbelievable range with acute control.
Hip-hop beats clash with raw jazz. The listener is taken from the sultry sax in ‘Dandelion’ to the cello in ‘Past Life’ and piano in ‘Hampstead’.
Peripheral production is ethereal and dreamy. In the opening track, her voice echoes in an empty arena, reflecting her self-soothing and processing heartache alone.
This is possibly Grande’s best work yet. Brighter Days Ahead (2025) is mature, introspective, and a fresh blend of classic pop beats, silky melodies, and airy production.
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Featured image courtesy of Diego PH on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
