Ariana Grande triumphs over heartbreak on seventh studio album, ‘eternal sunshine’

The new Ariana Grande era — marked by her seventh studio album and first in nearly four years, “eternal sunshine,” began with a question — “Yes, And?”

The single — named after a general rule of thumb in improvisational comedy — marked a new musical pivot for the performer. Sure, she was working with one of the greatest pop producers of all time again — the mysterious Swedish powerhouse Max Martin — but now, she was filtering her earworm hooks through ‘90s house music. The bridge has echoes of “Vogue” (not unlike Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” ) and its lyrics recall a kind of Lady Gaga “Born This Way” empowerment (an example: “Boy, come on, put your lipstick on/No one can tell you nothin’”) while also offering a public defense to tabloid representation (“Don’t comment on my body, do not reply.”) It’s a great song, but it doesn’t include Grande’s signature runs; there’s no larger-than-life vocal moment, what her listeners have come to know her for. In some ways, it makes “Yes, And?” a bit of a red herring on “eternal sunshine.”

Belt she does throughout the release — her idiosyncratic vocal tone stretches across the funky, finger-snapping, shimmery disco of “Bye.” There’s her breathy falsetto on “Don’t Wanna Break Up” (sung with “I’m too much to you/ So I really gotta do the thing I don’t wanna do,” a reminder that this is her first album since her divorce from real estate agent Dalton Gomez ), the pop “Supernatural,” and the wobbly ’00s R&B pop of “True Story” like a long lost Destiny’s Child cut. In the latter, her weapons are once again raised: “I’ll play whatever part you need me to,” she sings. ”And, I’ll be good in it, too.”

There’s a kind of Y2K revivalism here done in distinct Grande fashion — and at least partially inspired by her girl group-inspired track “Fantasize,” which leaked on TikTok last summer. That’s evident on a reimagination of “The Boy Is Mine,” inspired by the Brandy and Monica classic, with a dramatic tempo change.

For a record completed in around three-and-a-half months — notably after she finished filming “Wicked,” as she told her fans long ago was the plan — there’s marked innovation and evolution here. “Imperfect for you,” is another slight genre shift, with its distorted synths sounds like an out-of-tune guitar atop a blues-y trap beat. And there’s the big, Robyn-esque euro-pop production of “we can’t be friends (wait for your love),” which explodes into a string crescendo, electronic sounds effortlessly blending into organic ones.

There’s also quite a bit of love on this album, for someone navigating life after marriage; the tragic loss of another partner, the rapper Mac Miller, who died of an accidental overdose; and the terrorist attack on her show in Manchester, England in 2017. Instead of leaning into a kind of overt optimism like on past releases — “Thank U, Next,” anyone? — Grande allows herself to feel it all, even when she wishes she couldn’t.