One year after the release of Eternal Sunshine, two-time Grammy award-winning pop artist Ariana Grande has made a follow-up appointment to revisit luminous highs and haunting lows with Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead. The reissued expanded edition dropped on streaming platforms on Friday, March 28, and features six new tracks, including an extended version of the album’s intro titled “intro: end of the world.”

This expansion doesn’t just add to the album’s original narrative– rather it extends its emotional depth with cohesive additional tracks. Accompanying the new music is a self-directed short film titled Brighter Days Ahead, providing Arianators with an immersive visual and sonic landscape which she crafted with inspiration from films such as “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind,” “Inside Out,” “Frankenstein, and Twilight Zone: The Movie.”

Overall, “Brighter Days Ahead “provides closure on the original album that ended with a track titled “Ordinary Things” that features her grandmother Nonna; the left previous album had loose ends. After revisiting, Ariana Grande provides herself with the healing and closure she needed for her past life as she prepares to dust off her glimmering crown and bubble wand to return to the land of Oz this fall in the second and final part of Wicked titled “Wicked: For Good” slated for a theatrical release on November 21. Until then, fans can set up their appointment and listen to “Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead” on Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms. 

The original album marked a pivotal moment in Grande’s career with the album debuting at Number One. Scoring her two chart-topping hits, “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” Despite the original’s commercial success, Grande was forced to rapidly shift her focus by prioritizing her role as Glinda in the Oscar-winning film adaptation of “Wicked.” As a result, album promotion took a backseat, with “The Boy Is Mine” being promoted as a single accompanied by a Gotham City-inspired music video last summer.

However, just when it seemed like “Eternal Sunshine” was becoming a faded memory, Grande reignited excitement for the era in a special way. She renamed her Sweetener album account to “Brighter Days,” and built anticipation through a cryptic hotline, where fans could receive exclusive voice messages from the popstar teasing the upcoming release. This new approach signaled not only a return to music deliberation, continuation of the themes she explored on Eternal Sunshine, but also love, loss, and the ever-shifting glow of personal growth. 

The story isn’t over, with the introduction of five new tracks, “Brighter Days Ahead” continues the narrative, still shadowed by lingering memories. On the track “Twilight Zone” proposes the question “Did I dream the whole thing?” and “Was I just a nightmare?” The song is wrapped up in a synth-pop shimmer, it follows Grande’s attempt to convince herself that the past is now behind her – yet the echoes remain. “It’s not that I miss you, I don’t,” she sings. “Sometimes I just can’t believe you happened.”

The songs delve into the grief of a dissolved relationship, capturing emotions that refuse to fade. “Why do I still protect you? Pretend these songs aren’t about you?” Grande questions in “Twilight Zone,” “Hope this might be the last one, because I’m not fooling anyone.”

Each of the new tracks adds a distinct layer to the album’s emotional arc. “Dandelion” swirls with jazzy horns and trap beats where Grande explores the idea of planting new romantic beginnings, yet memories of the past must remain. “Past Life” builds on the theme, carried by sharp synth-strings as she sings about “waking up with a ghost,” unable to escape the echoes of lost love. “Warm” comes with a David Bowie-inspired blend of hazy rock guitar with a pulsing disco rhythm, capturing a sense of detachment as Grande describes feeling “high in the exosphere,” distanced from emotion. The album’s piano-driven finale, “Hampstead,” offers a temporary escape in a fleeting London romance. “I left my heart in a pub in Hampstead,” Grande sings. “And I misplaced my mind in a good way.”

Grande has already revisited the album once with Slightly Deluxe, which featured remixes and duets with artists like Mariah Carey and Troye Sivan. That was followed by “Also Live” which includes a special version of “The Boy is Mine” featuring Brandy and Monica, alongside seven live performances recorded with a 10-piece band. However, “Brighter Days Ahead” stands apart by offering new material, produced by Grande herself and longtime collaborators Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh. 

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