Whenever Ariana Grande drops an album, people pay close attention to her music. This is due to her radiant voice, revealing all depths of various emotions that the human psyche can convey and decent tunes to match that voice. This is a long-awaited release by Ariana Grande, allegedly coming after some other artistic commitments by Ariana Grande herself. The COVID-19 pandemic and some well-known issues with her manager may have delayed Ariana Grande’s album release as well, but unintentionally so. Being a pseudo-concept album with some in-depth meaning to only the closest around Ariana Grande herself, this is likely going to be one of the most loved releases of 2024. Collaborating with long-time producer Max Martin and other very important artists such as Mariah Carey and her own grandmother on the album, this should be an interesting listening experience. Let’s hear it.

intro (end of the world) begins with some tripped-out and theatrically Psychedelic sounds, along with some watery organ. Ariana Grande begins singing, and this is a very RnB sort of listen. This is a 21st-century sort of listening experience, and Ariana Grande comments on being single in a hopeful way by singing her heart out here. It ends fairly quickly and is a good listen.

bye really should be at the end of this album, not the start of it. It begins with spacey strings, and excellent singing and launches into a fairly mainstream Disco inspired listening experience. Ariana Grande does sound really good here on vocals and is an A Grade singing talent unlike many others out there who try and imitate her. This Disco-influenced music isn’t the most original approach, but it fits Ariana Grande’s voice very nicely. This is a painful reflection on broken relationships, of which Ariana herself has had her fair share. Nonetheless, this music is enjoyably different. A worthy addition to your listening experiences, this song wraps up after two and a half minutes, and fairly suddenly as well.

don’t wanna break up again is exactly where it is at for Ariana Grande and most human beings out there. It is a rather sad lyrical piece set to EDM-styled beats and an RnB feel present musically. The sounds and production are fantastic, and match Ariana Grande’s awesome singing. This is about contemporary relationship-based disasters and her reflections on being with the wrong men and feeling distraught about it all. Thankfully, Ariana Grande sings and maintains her innocence on record. A lovely yet moodily reflective listen, without being overly depressing, this is a good musical listen. Worth listening to, the music throughout is very fresh and unique. Good effort.

Saturn Returns Interlude is a brief break musically with a vocal sample about the astrological path of Saturn itself, complete with digital editing and sound effects. If you understand anything about Western astrology, this makes some great sense to the listener. This segues into the next main track after it.

eternal sunshine launches into it with some electronic melodies, the sound of laughter and eventually, Ariana Grande’s gorgeous singing. This launches into a fairly standard Trap beat inspired tune with some IDM editing to it. This is a great song for Ariana’s singing voice. Sure, this song lacks musical innovation but Ariana Grande makes it magical upon hearing it. She sounds absolutely beautiful here, and no doubt appeals to both men and women in her professional ways. There are no overtones of sexism in this music, although it is delivered from a woman’s perspective. Nonetheless, this music is pretty, pleasant and optimistic throughout it all. A really gorgeous digital ballad all the same. This may be seen as contemporary 2020s music, but unlike many of her competitors, Ariana Grande is the current queen of Pop Music. The ending has looped and multitracked vocals to conclude. Excellent.

supernatural begins with some weird Electronic sounds and editing, with Ariana Grande quickly entering into a very sad and passionate-sounding song that is very emotional and powerful indeed to listen to. Ariana Grande sounds very emotionally charged here. Thankfully, she launches her emotions in an adult, mature and compassionate way into her singing. This is a very good song to listen to, and it sounds very passionate and lovely musically to enjoy. Of course, Ariana Grande is longing for peace and happiness within her own soul. Towards the end is some weird editing, before the chorus eventually returns. A good listen, and one of the better songs from this album. Decent.

true story launches straight into it and enters into a story indeed about failed relationships and broken-hearted blues. Ariana Grande certainly sounds like the correct voice and person to articulate such things. In any case, this music has a heavily Electronic edge to it and is a good, concise and interesting song about desiring real love that cares. A well-written, interesting sounding and meaningful song by Ariana Grande that exceeds all expectations. A wonderful and lovely listening experience from start to finish, despite its darkness, this is a real winner musically. Worth your ears.

the boy is mine is a subtle Michael Jackson reference, and launches into a pseudo-Psychedelic/Electronic piece of music. Ariana Grande sings nicely, although this song is clearly an ode to Michael Jackson, which maybe his lawyers might be paying attention to. Still, this is another good piece of music that has some great singing from Ariana Grande on it. In any case, this tune is okay but is a bit of a filler track per se. Still, one cannot doubt Ariana Grande’s ability to sing well here. Her voice is front and centre in the mix here, and she sounds like a superstar female singer for those out there who have gone through some messed up relationships. In a world where divorce rates are extremely high, this makes a great deal of sense. Nonetheless, a good tune without being really great.

yes, and? is the leadoff single from this album, and is the most popular track from this album as well. It quickly launches into a very weird-sounding piece of music with heavily distorted vocals that are looped with some typically Electronic Music based textures. It quickly launches into a 4/4 House Music styled piece that sounds quite danceable. Soon enough, Ariana Grande sings well about being assertive and feminine, without being overly sexist. This is obviously more textural than song-based, but it is a very good listening experience sonically. An unusual listen, but obviously one that works fairly well with Ariana in mind. All in all, a very pleasant listening experience. There is an unusual breakdown-based section in the second half with processed alien-styled vocals, and Ariana Grande getting in the mood for some. It returns to the chorus section to conclude this fairly good song. It concludes after three and a half minutes in length. A worthwhile listen.

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) begins with a slow fade-in and has Ariana Grande singing from a very personal and dark place musically. This is a very sad and moving listen about the death of a relationship that may have had romantic intentions but has fallen apart. A really good listen, although Ariana Grande is the Burt Bacharach of the 21st century with these songs. In any case, the music throughout is quite good, although it does take a certain sort of mood to hear and to listen to. Anyone who has been deeply in love with someone will surely understand this music and the lyrical message throughout. This is matched up by some excellent sonic production, as expected from the “celebrity with a laptop” musical era that we are in. The outro has strings in it and is very spacey sounding indeed. Good work.

i wish i hated you is a weird song title. It has some minimal Electronic sounds and Ariana Grande singing about a breakup in a relationship sense, once again. Although the theme is kind of done to death, Ariana keeps her head above stormy clouds in her own personal life. It is a very sad-sounding piece of music that makes a lot of sense to those people who have had disappointing relationships in their lives. This piece of music does sound really amazing, without a doubt or question present. A great piece of explorational sonic Electronic Music, today’s music should follow this format more often. It ends after two and a half minutes, one of the better pieces from this album.

imperfect for you begins with some weird-sounding processed acoustic and Ariana Grande singing about finding a new lover who fits the bill perfectly, despite the mayhem of relationship dramas present. This is very pretty and enjoyable listening, with some clever use of lyrical singing. This music is seriously world-class, and Ariana Grande should be proud of songs such as these. The music at hand is extremely good to listen to, and it shows the realities of adult love and relationships in many different shades of colour. This album is a great postmodern concept album about love and relationships in a negative sense, and Ariana Grande who sadly bears some scars on the inside, is our storyteller. Nonetheless, a good listen from this queen. Very good.

ordinary things (feat. Nonna) is a song by Ariana Grande featuring her own grandmother, which is an interesting listen in itself. It begins with some old-fashioned trumpets, electronic textures and Ariana Grande humming away nicely. This is another good listening experience that showcases Ariana’s storytelling talent and it sounds really awesome to listen to. A really good piece of music and musicality from start to finish. Ariana Grande sings about dealing with the dual nature of being a celebrity and dealing with the pressures of fame and fortune in and out of relationships. Ariana Grande’s voice is fantastic here and she sounds super smooth throughout. There is a vocal recording of Ariana’s Nonna speaking in the outro of this song, telling a story of love and morality within. Great.

supernatural (with Troye Sivan) begins with some weird and modified Electronic sounds, with Troye Sivan humming some harmonies in the background. Ariana Grande and her guest sing very nicely on this remixed tune, and Ariana herself has a very good choice of artists to join her along the way on her albums. This is a fantastic listen, and Troye Sivan sings perfectly here as well. A fantastic and fine tune that is supercharged and full of passionate emotional singing, this is a really interesting and wonderful tune for any Ariana Grande or female diva singer fan out there. The mixture and layering of vocals throughout are absolutely superb, and this human-built Electronic-based RnB is a lot better than your average AI creation today. Excellent.

imperfect for you – acoustic begins with some acoustic guitar strumming away and has Ariana Grande singing very sweetly. This also has some piano within it as well. This awesome song gets a different perspective musically and just sounds beyond awesome. This is good proof that, at its core, Ariana Grande has some genuinely good songs that she has made. Some string sections enter, and this tune comes alive. A good listening experience about brokenhearted blues, Ariana sings and sounds sweet throughout it all, although she is bitter here. A very strange sort of messed-up piece of lyrics set to a gorgeous musical backdrop. Definitely listenable and enjoyable.

true story – a cappella is an excellent listen from the start, with some delayed vocals and other vocals laid on top. This is a very good listen, even if it is just Ariana Grande on her own here. Still, this sounds very lovely and gorgeous throughout. A wonderful and visionary listen about an ex-lover. Ariana Grande has a fantastic voice, period and she is best at her singing, no matter what she is singing along to, or not in this instance. A very awesome listening experience that needs very little explanation further, it is best worth hearing in its own way. A great tune overall. It ends with hummed melodies by Ariana Grande, good job.

yes, and? (with Mariah Carey) – Remix begins with some distorted vocals and launches into a good remix of the original tune earlier on this album. It sounds different, but is cool anyway. It launches back into the House/Eurodance styled piece of this tune that sounds wonderfully good. This also is the last track on this album, and this serves a good purpose. No doubt Ariana Grande has made a good, varied and interesting album with a decent listening experience overall. Mariah Carey’s vocals add some different flavour to this song, and the music is really sensationally good throughout. A really awesome tune to listen to, Ariana Grande has made a good hit album for 2024. She and others such as Taylor Swift showcase the true power of women and the fact that they always deserve equal status in society. The proof is in this music. A great conclusion to a very good album.

This is definitely an outstanding album to listen to. Ariana Grande puts her soul and passion into her songs, and she delivers a fantastic statement overall. The combination of spacey Psychedelic/Electronic production, fine and extraordinary singing by Ariana Grande, emotional lyricism and a good acknowledgement of current popular musical trends in 2024 have made this a stunning success, and the proof is in these songs. A very good album to listen to, and something which you should definitely hear.

Fantastic and interesting music.

9/10