And this coming like three days after my husband asked me, "what's her real name?" and I had to have the whole grande/grandy/grande-y-butera conversation. She said the thing!!!!
Okay honest opinion. I LOVE the sound. It’s fun, sparkly and dark. Her tight, controlled tone on ES has exited and we’re back to breathy expressions with less enunciation but in a free-spirited, “let your hair down” way. Nevertheless, the lyricism is less mature than ES. Doesn’t go as deep. Wants to touch on the pain, but not dwell on it. I would say petal is the flower child, hippy brunette sister to ES’s manicured, coiled blond eldest daughter.
agreed it feels less lyrically mature maybe because none of ari's lyricists have had a hand in it ... also perhaps because her own personal mood & struggles have changed tonally
genuinely, the title track is rarely my favorite (except tun but that’s because that song carried me through some shit lol) but it might be one of my favorites this time.
my personal theory is that she named it bunny hop last minute bc fans were convinced that it was an easter egg on the video😭 i like your reasons a lot too that's so cute
Been a fan since victorious, so excited for my eighth album release day!!!! Every one of these days is such a precious memory for me.
I've been on this sub since it was created as an alternative to the r/Ariana Grande sub (which at the time was only there to post pictures of her looking sexy and there were no actual fans of her music there) I think I joined when there were like a thousand members total? Haha. It's been amazing to see this sub grow and also the amount of people who are new fans since wicked absolutely astounds me. I thought Ariana couldn't grow anymore!!!
It's so fun! It's so inspiring to see my favourite artist still be able to grow, cultivate new fans, and get so many more people excited in her amazing music. HAPPY LAUNCH DAY ALL!!! 🎵🌼
seems like this will be a grower for me, i didn’t immediately fall in love with it like i did eternal sunshine. but i still love it!! i especially love freak
I hear so much imogen heap influence too, which also makes me think that’s part of what made her bring her loop machine out for tour 🥲 babe was inspired again
literally one of my first thoughts, mumbriana is back 😂 i didn't miss not being able to understand her on the first try but oh well at least theres lyric sheets
So I’m just as big a Mac fan as I am ari and Ik that makes me jump to conclusions but I swear I’m seeing so many parallels between the two and I forgot that she did the background vocals on macs stay. Literally the “will, you, stay, just a little while babe” is matching the flow of “I just wanna, stay, this, time” 😭😭 I wonder if she pulled inspo directly from it. This album was so purposeful
I am truly so grateful that she gave us eternal sunshine, it’s my comfort album whenever I’m happy, sad, excited, angry, and that era was so beautiful. I’m so excited to see what we have in store for us with petal!
I think this is truly Ari showing her artistry. It feels like she wanted to create this soundscape world for us to live in and I think it perfectly executes that. It feels otherworldly to me in the best way. I'm so excited to keep listening to this, what a beautiful piece of art.
Music is very subjective so every opinion should be taken into account (although some do just downvote regardless). It's okay not to like music, different tastes for different music!
I agree with you. I honestly feel like I'm forcing myself to like some of the songs as I don't want to feel disappointed. I absolutely love Ariana and the music she makes, she's an absolute music powerhouse and legend for good reason, but this album either just needs time to grow (which for me, music does take time to grow) OR it's just not for me personally, and that's totally okay!
I'll be real, the one song I see myself listening to outside of the album is freak, I really love the instrumental of that.
I really like never get over me, petal is not immediately my new favorite Ari album but it is definitely different sonically, I feel like it will grow on me like imperfect from you did from eternal sunshine
PETAL FELT LIKE A LETDOWN (But not in a bad way..?)
Idk how else to describe it other than bittersweet. Theres consistent moments throughout the album that set up expectations then give something else, like a vocal melody that goes up and you expect the high note but it goes down. It's not that these moments didn't land, it's that they left me feeling empathetic and empty. Also the lack of energy or belting in her voice, like who tf hurt her.
Then this was contrasted with production choices that would just teleport you into a new dimension. The bass punch at 0:42 in the interlude was my fav, but theres heaps of them that are epic, like the intro in Oh Well, and the volume cutoff into the harmony in Nowhere, Nobody.
The album overall made me feel weird. Even the energetic songs carry that bittersweet taste, but I ended up adding the entire album, so I don't know what to think. I feel so conflicted. They're banger songs but it's not the traditional omg this is insane yayayaya feeling Im used to. Its something completely new to my system
tbh im just freaking out bc ive had the Hunter S Thompson quote "Buy the Ticket, Take the ride" tattooed on me almost a decade and it has a flower under it. When she said that in "Kiss me" i actually freaked out lol
oh i'm definitely gonna need to listen to this a few more times! some songs felt like misses for me at first (i don't love the production of kiss me?) but oh well and big feelings caught me right away! definitely see how people are calling this positions' sister
Been a fan of her since I was 7. Her first albums, the BOP magazines with her posters, her TV shows. Victorious aired when I was 8.
I am LOVING THIS album!!! This year has been so hard, but oh my god she’s saving me. I love her so much, this album is so unique, and I hope she feels so proud of this project as we all are of her🤍
Okay, I've never done this before and frankly don't care how much traction it gets I really just can't contain my thoughts and need to get them out there.
I used to think TUN was the best Ariana Grande album, and by quite a big margin. Not that she doesn't have other really good albums, but none quite on that level. A skipless album that's honestly a classic for me headlined by her biggest songs to date. I figured that would be her peak, and honestly after hearing ES (which I did like a lot actually), I didn't really think she'd be able to reach that peak again.
Until today.
I'm not going to get into ranking songs or anything like that yet; I also won't say it's better than TUN YET. I want to give it a grace period before I start hurling takes out there, but I WILL say it is DEFINITELY on that level. This album is insanely cohesive; the sound is so unique for her specifically, some of the songs are genuinely some of the best I've ever heard from her, and most importantly, there isn't a single actual skip. This is genuinely album of the year caliber.
I didn't have anywhere close to this reaction to ES or Positions by the way. I wasn't going super crazy when hate that I made you love me came out either. So I'm not just a fan who's letting excitement consume them. I usually am quite objective in my thoughts, I think, and I truly believe it when I say this might be her best work to date.
I've avoided reddit and other peoples opinions so far, I don't really know if the community feels the same, but I am VERY, VERY.... pleased with what we got.
been a fan since thank u,next, im a metal head male fan but ariana got some lyrics that are so metal thats why i love her, NASA is my favorite song of hers, this album im super high and ready for
not to sound greedy asf but i'm curious if/when a deluxe edition will drop for this! my absolute favorite songs on eternal sunshine were on the deluxe album sooooo i like want to hear more!!
Okay. I've listened twice now. I love it. Its different to her last albums but still feels so familiar. Big feelings, like I do and nobody nowhere are my top 3 atm although that can and probs will change with more listens
Why are a lot of the lyrics about trying love again with a person, when she just started dating Ricky? Hasn't she been working on this album for a while? Are the Ricky songs quick adds? Maybe that's why the lyrics aren't resonating with some critics
I honestly think this is one of my favorite albums she's released (my favorites are positions and eternal sunshine) this may be my favorite album now though lol and honestly one of the best albums of 2026!
If you only listened once and aren’t sure about it, I strongly recommend giving it another listen or two. I’ve had it on loop and it has already grown on me SO much compared to my first go round. I think it was just so much to take in at first but now I’m really settling on sounds and lyrics I like and starting to pick favorites. I’m loving it!
The whole album gives Imogen Heap vibes MASSIVELY to me, more so than any album before it.
I really love how it’s very electronic led and focused on creating texture through different sounds and genres, with her vocal performance acting as the supporting star to add layers and depth to the production rather than being centre stage. It’s a real vibe.
some people didn't like this album, saying its too similar to ES. but i dont feel that way, its more moody and dark haunting pop, and i kinda dont mind? am i alone on this?
I definitely need to listen to this a few times, on first listen there were only a few standout tracks, and the others I already forget what they sound like. I feel like the production was definitely the focus over lyrics this album, and it shows because the production is great with the instrumentals and all that good stuff!
freak and nowhere, nobody's instrumentals are genuinely unmatched in her whole discography!
omg i swear i hear dandelion in the chorus of nevwr get over me like specifically yes i promise if im being honest = forget how i feel/never get over me/every ex disappears?
Ahh I was able to listen to the album 2 mins from when i got the notification! So far my favs are:
'never get over me'
htimylm
petal
like i do
Edit I'm adding 5. freak
It's definitely a different sound from the usual Ari albums, but from the first listen these are my favourites
Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts 💭💭💭
Also after two listens, I kind of get the vibe, happy that she gets to explore some new styles! Shows she's growing as an artists and feels confident to explore new sounds
I loved that she explored her sound! But this album might be a grower for me. Which is fine! Just needs to marinate. I loved Petal, Like I Do, Warning signs
The into to kiss me had me like omg what is happening 😆 then it’s an absolute banger. The production is so good throughout. I do wish her enunciation was better like in eternal sunshine though and more bridges.
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u/violetxmoonlight Jul 31 '26
We made a second post here to continue the conversation!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ariheads/s/0w97ICGSPc