\u201cPetal,\u201d Ariana Grande\u2019s eighth studio album, is here and the singer is hoping her fans will connect with the album\u2019s unique vibe. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019ll feel familiarity and comfort in it because it just feels like it pulls from many different parts of myself. And yet at the same time, it is very experimental and different for me,\u201d she said in an interview with Apple Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n While chatting about her new album, \u201cPetal,\u201d the 33-year-old described her writing process, saying she \u201cwrote from a place that I don\u2019t usually.\u201d<\/p>\n Grande said she tapped into the \u201cunfiltered rage that I think we all feel sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI usually am too shy to tap into that, and I think this time I kind of just didn\u2019t filter as much as I usually do,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n What are critics saying about \u201cPetal\u201d after listening to the entire album? Here are some of the initial reviews.<\/p>\n The New York Times<\/p>\n The New York Times suggests<\/a> that Grande sounds \u201cirritated with the invasive nature of fame\u201d throughout \u201cPetal,\u201d which the publication says \u201ctrades her signature effervescence for something darker and more brooding.\u201d <\/p>\n The New York Times describes the timing of this album as \u201ca bit odd.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor one thing, it comes less than two years after Grande revealed that she was planning to put more of her creative energy into comedic acting and musical theater rather than pop stardom,\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n The publication also highlights the fact that the album is being released in the middle of Grande\u2019s tour to promote her previous album, \u201cEternal Sunshine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat urgency suggests \u2018Petal\u2019 is the sort of album a musician makes when she has something new or important to express, but these 12 tracks are disappointingly light on revelation,\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n The New York Times describes \u201cEternal Sunshine\u201d as \u201ca work of sharp craftsmanship and tonal variety.\u201d In comparison, the publication says \u201cPetal\u201d \u201cfeels murky and monochrome in comparison.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAs usual, Grande\u2019s vocals are lovely and impressively arranged; she can still sing circles, squares and curlicues around most A-list pop stars. But the material here is mostly a morass of sluggish tempos that lacks the charisma and conviction of her best work,\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n The Associated Press<\/p>\n The Associated Press says<\/a> Grande shows \u201creal restraint\u201d on \u201cPetal,\u201d a vibe that was foreshadowed by the lead single, \u201cHate That I Made You Love Me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a variety of textures here, and they are cooler than ever before \u2014 nearing lackadaisical, but still retaining a lot of charm,\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n The publication says \u201cPetal\u201d lacks Grande\u2019s \u201csignature runs\u201d and \u201clarger-than-life\u201d vocal moments.<\/p>\n \u201cGrande has moved on, as she is entitled to do. But is her \u2018Big Feelings\u2019 subtlety enough to keep loyalists engaged?\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n The publication\u2019s review ends with a reflection on the overall vibe of the album.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the press materials for \u2018Petal,\u2019 Grande described the album as \u2018Something that is full of life and growing through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.\u2019 There is some truth to it: Across these dozen songs are small joys, buried beneath atmospheric production and listless melodies. But there is also a freedom to pop\u2019s most elastic vocalist choosing to rein it in,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n Pitchfork<\/p>\n Giving the album a 6.5 out of 10, Pitchfork says<\/a> \u201cPetal\u201d has an \u201cintimate, experimental feel\u201d and features \u201csongwriting that often lacks the urgency and precision of her best.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut on the whole, rather than a dramatic departure, \u2018Petal\u2019 feels fairly constrained and, occasionally, like a tame reimagining of her older work,\u201d the review reads. <\/p>\n Pitchfork argues that the album\u2019s \u201cstrongest moments come when Grande ventures into less familiar territory.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe soft shuffle of speed garage provides a sublime counterpoint to her celestial harmonies on \u2018oh well\u2019; jangling, sun-bleached indie-pop brings an Olivia Rodrigo-esque feel to \u2018bad thing (bunny hop).\u2019 On \u2018stay,\u2019 assisted by Max Martin, she comes closest to the breezy frankness of her career high, \u2018thank u, next,\u2019 with \u2018Petal\u2019s\u2019 most full-chested vocal performance and bare-hearted lyrics,\u201d the review reads.<\/p>\n Variety<\/p>\n Compared to Grande\u2019s 2024 album, \u201cEternal Sunshine,\u201d Variety says \u201cPetal<\/a>\u201d is \u201cdarker, moodier and a lot more blunt.\u201d The publication describes the singer\u2019s emotions in \u201cPetal\u201d as \u201cmore volatile, less heartbroken, and much less internalized.\u201d<\/p>\n Variety notes that Grande\u2019s innuendos move \u201cinto a whole new realm\u201d with plenty of NSFW lyrics throughout the album.<\/p>\n \u201cThe heartbroken but resilient Grande from the last album is nowhere in sight \u2014 with one exception, these songs are about vengeance or sex, and about whom is bound to be the subject of endless online chatter,\u201d the publication writes.<\/p>\n \u201cKiss Me\u201d and \u201cFreak\u201d are two examples of \u201cfamiliar-sounding songs and moments,\u201d per Variety, but the album is also full of music that \u201cwould be more expected from FKA Twigs or even the Weeknd.\u201d<\/p>\n Variety called the closing ballad, \u201cNowhere, Nobody,\u201d the \u201cprettiest song\u201d on the album.<\/p>\n Overall, the publication described \u201cPetal\u201d as \u201cthe biggest musical departure of her career\u201d and \u201cher most musically and lyrically accomplished album.\u201d<\/p>\n Rolling Stone<\/p>\n