Album Review: Ariana Grande – petal
3 min read
Ariana Grande, at this point in her career, is practically a household name. Aside from consistently releasing new collections of music since 2013’s Yours Truly and having a string of hits with each, she also saw huge success (and questionable controversy) playing Galinda in the recent film adaptions of Wicked, a phenomenon that quite possibly launched her even further into the spotlight. Clearly not one for taking breaks, she’s returned with album number eight, petal.
kiss me kicks off the album with harsh synth pads and plonky percussion, reminiscent of label PC Music’s earlier work. Ariana’s voice floats over the staccato instrumentation, bouncing within the highly compressed mix. There’s a lovely pop song tucked into the ultra-modern production, a stylistic choice present on the two singles hate that i made you love me and petal, although to a lesser extent on the former. stay brings back the sharp synth stabs but melds it with a live drum beat to create a powerful, driving rhythm. Following track oh well goes for a Jungle-inspired beat, Ariana’s softer register slotting in wonderfully with the pulsating rhythm. freak begins like a Pink Floyd track, a radio trying to find a station, before opening truly with a heavily modulated guitar line and a harshly autotuned Ariana. It’s a low-key song that plays with interesting chord passages but never rises from its mid-tempo plodding.
The interlude warning signs plays further with the freak chord progression, before transitioning into like i do. The song is a Trap throwback with hard-hitting kick drums and an on-the-pulse melody from Ariana, and almost fittingly sounds like a diss-track against someone in her life. bad thing (bunny hop) takes another complete left turn into indie territory with a driving live drum, quick-strummed guitar lines, and a bouncing bass. It’s entirely unexpected, especially at this point on the album, but Ariana pulls off the style well. nowhere, nobody concludes the record with a mix of what’s come before; plucked guitars, vocoded harmonies, dance-adjacent drums, and a low-key aesthetic.
Stylistically, petal has only a few connections with Ariana’s previous work. Her and her collaborators have pushed the boat out in terms of the instrumentals, and the result is a highly satisfying mixed bag. It’s an exciting experiment, one that Ariana’s immaculate voice carries with grace, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome, making it a refreshing listen also. Fans will no doubt gravitate towards the sounds that they come to expect from an Ariana Grande album, but it will be interesting to see if any of the new directions stand out in the aftermath.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
