By Jem Aswad
Plus IconJem Aswad
Executive Editor, Music
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On the surface, Ariana Grande’s “Petal” is a sister album to its predecessor, 2024’s “Eternal Sunshine” — it was made with the same two collaborators, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Max Martin, and it also was entirely written, performed and produced by the three of them. Usually, that formula means a chapter two: more of the same but different.
Not this time. This sister is darker, moodier and a lot more blunt than “Sunshine,” and her emotions are more volatile, less heartbroken, and much less internalized. It’s a different Ariana, musically and especially lyrically.
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