It’s been a great summer for Ariana Grande fans. Not only is the singer in the midst of her sold-out Eternal Sunshine tour (see all of her statement fashions from that right here), but today, she’s also released Petal—her highly anticipated eighth studio album.
And what a record it is. Produced by Grande herself, with contributions from fellow hit-makers like Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, the album fuses Grande’s unmistakable vocals with fresh pop beats—all combined with poetic lyrics touching on love, loss, anger, and of course, lust. “It pulls from many different parts of myself and yet, at the same time, it is very experimental and different for me,” Grande recently said of the album. “I wrote from a place that I don’t usually, which was like an unfiltered rage that I think we all feel sometimes.”
Consider it one of her strongest albums to date. Sure, come for the songs about personal growth like “petal”—her title track about blossoming through heartbreak—but stay for the pure pop goodness in tracks such as “like I do.”
Are you pressing play? Let’s compare notes! Read on for the 23 thoughts I had while listening to Grande’s Petal. Yuh!
- We’re opening the album with a banger of a track called “kiss me.” Digging the heavy synths and electronic drums here—and her inimitable vocals, duh. “Kiss me like you know this is goodbye,” she sings, “grab me like my life is on the line.” This would be a perfect song to sing to your summer fling that’s fizzling out.
- For track two, we’re on to her lead single: “hate that I made you love me.” You’ve already heard this song everywhere, so I will just say this: Still slaps. And still thinking about that music video with my man, Justin Long.
- Next up is the title track, “petal.” Grande has been teasing this beat in the lead-up to the album release on social media, and fans have dubbed it an “evil 7 rings.” I definitely hear it.
- “They say that the artist needs tears to write again,” she sings. Now that’s a bar! And it’s true: Some of the best pop albums have come out of the worst moments in your favorite singers’ personal lives. Britney Spears’s Blackout, anyone? Or Grande’s very own Sweetener?
- There is something sexy yet sinister about this song. It’s weird, in a good way, and I like it. This is going to be a big hit. She has a music video for it dropping today, complete with a 1960s-Hollywood vibe.
- She just sang, “All of my favorite stories end in some kind of catastrophe.” Honestly, same.
- Track four is called “stay.” She’s singing about wanting to stay with someone, but also wanting to make sure they make her feel safe. Well, yes Ari—that should be a bare minimum. Do we think this is about…a certain ex of hers?
- Her vocal layering is really nice on this one. Nobody can harmonize with herself quite like Miss Grande.
- Oh, wow, that track was short! 2 minutes and 28 seconds?! I was just getting into it!
- I would say the vibe of this album is very upbeat, yet relaxed? Grande said the album draws from a lot of “rage,” yet I find the tone of the record is very…at peace with herself. On “oh well,” she’s singing about how good things can replace “dysfunction, obsession, and friends I used to need.” Louder!
- Oooh, now she’s coming in with a jazzy, little piano two-step beat on “big feelings.” Can you imagine seeing Grande perform in a smoky, dimly lit jazz bar? Add a martini and, voilà, we’re in heaven.
- One thing I appreciate about Grande is that she is constantly switching up her sound. She isn’t afraid to pull in different genres, from electronic to jazz.
- This next song is called “freak,” and before it even begins, I am sort of hoping for something R-rated. Sue me! Grande is someone who once sang “switchin’ them positions for you, cookin’ in the kitchen and I’m in the bedroom.” She is a professional freak! So let’s hear it, sis.
- Okay, this is not a sexy-freak song, but rather a slower-tempo track about telling a freak to actually settle down. “I won’t give you your fantasy this time. I won’t do what you say, freak, any time.”
- The chorus is so catchy. I will be singing this to myself every time I read a risqué DM…because that happens often. The last one I got was from Justin Long. (He wants me bad.)
- Time for a little interlude; this one is called “warning signs.” Let’s bring these back! Albums should be an experience.
- “One day you’re all over me, then Friday you’re suddenly ghosting me.” Now if that ain’t a relatable lyric, I don’t know what is. (If my last Tinder date is reading this, shame on you.)
- I’m sad we only have four songs left. I’m having so much fun. This is one of her best albums, for sure. The production? Stellar.
- Well, well, well, we finally got our truly freaky song with “like I do.” Grande sings, “No one fucks you like I do.” My cheeks are flushed.
- I’m clutching my pearls listening to this one. This is the raunchy Ari I live for. It’s almost as good as that “Fantasize” leak. (Sorry—don’t support leaks, folks.)
- The beat on “never get over me” slightly sounds like “Be My Baby”—a not-to-be-forgotten bop from My Everything. Also, how is that album 12 years old? I need a new night serum.
- Whoa—not miss Grande introducing a whole new sound onto the album with “bad thing (bunny hop).” Okay, guitar! It’s a little more indie-rock for her. It’s the kind of song you’d hear in a movie while the camera pans to someone alone on a dance floor, at the very end of the night. I feel like this one needs a music video next.
- And now we’re wrapping things up with a cute little ballad: “nowhere, nobody.” She sings, “Hard to believe in a perfect ending,” but this seems like the perfect note to end the album on. Layered harmonies are simply what she does best, after all, and I have chills. This is a no-skips album. Stream it, folks.
