After a whirlwind year that included the release of her seventh studio album and a grand return to her musical theater roots in Wicked, Ariana Grande is back. Today, she released eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead, a continuation of the album's original version that includes an extended intro and five brand-new tracks, along with the brighter days ahead short film which picks up where the "we can't be friends (wait for your love)" music video ended.

As the title suggests, these deluxe tracks present a light at the end of the tunnel from an album filled with reflection and brutal honesty towards both herself and her marriage. eternal sunshine is an interesting case where the public knew specific details about Grande's recent divorce and relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Even so, she presents these details in a way where we're made to realize that we never know everything about everyone, especially those in the Hollywood spotlight. The album is a perfectly crafted break-up album, and the deluxe tracks only add to that.

The "we can't be friends (wait for your love)" music video starts with Grande's character g a contract that gives "Brighter Days Inc" permission to remove memories of a past lover from her mind. It goes on to show the links between different objects with fond memories of their relationship that the doctors then use to cut him from her memory.

The "brighter days ahead" short film starts with one of the final shots of the music video, a doctor placing her box of memories in an incinerator. What follows is a heartbreaking yet cathartic narrative where her character, Peaches, is now an elderly woman watching the last four memories she has in an empty room surrounded by screens which display home videos and footage of her performing songs on the album. It's a 26-minute-long short film that brings the themes of her album back around in a tear-jerking full circle.

6 intro (end of the world) - extended

Track 14 - 2:41

The extended version of "intro (end of the world)" is something fans were ecstatic to see on the deluxe album's tracklist. This version almost doubles the original, adding a series of lines that build on the original's ending in a rambling fashion with Grande singing as if she's just getting stuff off of her chest. She builds off of the questions asked and information revealed in the original while going into greater detail, revealing deeper truths and personal feelings that were heard in other songs on the original album.

"Please, pay me no mind

While I jump into your skin and change your eyes

So you see things through mine (Through mine, through mine, through mine, through mine)

Can't you sense me? I've been right here all this time (All this time)

Would you still be here pretending you still like me? (Would you still be?)

Pretending you don't regret not thinking before asking"

Rather than feeling like a forced extension of a shorter song, this intro serves its purpose perfectly. It introduces listeners to the deluxe section of the album, providing a clean break from where the original ended and space for the new tracks to present themselves freely. The best part of this intro is still its first half, so it doesn't feel right to rank it any higher. It makes this deluxe section feel like an entirely new world full of darker thoughts and more critical assessments of her past relationship, making it necessary to the album's narrative.

5 warm

Track 16 - 3:21

"warm" is a meditation on the feeling of meeting someone new during a period where you've become content with being alone. The title references the warmth that she feels in the arms of this new lover, in contrast to the coldness or relaxing coolness she felt when she was single. She's fine on her own and even enjoys her own company, but why should she deny the warmth of having someone to hold when he's right in front of her?

"'Cause I'm cool

On my own (On my own)

But it's warmer

In your arms (In your arms)

'Cause it's nice to unravel

Tears, how they travel

Happy ones tonight

'Cause it's warm ('Cause it's warm)

In your arms"

The chorus of "warm" is very full. After a series of lines where she urges this lover to meet her somewhere secret, Grande breaks into a celebratory tone, noting how nice it feels to let go and feel happy tears trailing down her cheeks rather than sad ones for once. This is a sweet song that sees Grande opening the door to love after a gradual heartbreak. It's beautiful and a little shy, but, ultimately, the rest of the deluxe tracks just kept getting better.

4 twilight zone

Track 15 - 3:18

Track 15 sees Grande comparing her past relationship to something that surely could've only happened in her dreams, her nightmares, or the twilight zone. The first verse gives a scathing review of her ex, stating that she hopes he wins for best actor because of how convincing his performance was during their relationship. This verse takes back much of the material on the original album where it felt like Grande was doing her best to present her ex in a positive, mature light. Now, with the curtains pulled back, she's getting out everything that still haunts her.

"Did I dream the whole thing?

Was I just a nightmare?

Different dimensions

Stuck in the twilight zone

Is this a black and white scene?

If so then I'm in the gray one

Hope you win for best actor

'Cause I had you completely wrong"

The way this song conducts itself reminds me of "Down Bad" by Taylor Swift. In it, Swift crafts a comparison of her past relationship to the act of being beamed up in a spaceship, singing that what happened was too bizarre to have been her reality. "twilight zone" is also similar in the way both women have since moved on in new relationships and accomplished incredible things, but the memories of this one relationship continue to come back to them at different moments. Grande, like most people, can't help but wonder why their relationship played out the way it did.

3 dandelion

Track 17 - 3:24

The trumpets that open "dandelion" immediately present a vintage, jazz bar feel to the song. Once the trumpet notes fade into the backing beat, however, the song's true intentions become clear. The production is so incredible that it's difficult to focus on what she's singing without the lyrics in front of you. She uses the metaphor of a dandelion in different ways, telling her lover "just don't blow this" and asking "What's your wish list?" Grande also repeats "I'm thinking you should plant this seed" in the pre-chorus, meaning either the seed of their new relationship or a cheekier meaning.

"And, yes, I promise

If I'm being honest

You can get anything you'd like

Can't you see? I bloom at night

Boy, just don't blow this

Got me like, "What's your wish list?"

You can get anything you'd like

I'll be your dandelion, mm-mm"

While not as emotionally-charged as the other deluxe tracks, "dandelion" is a suggestive yet elevated track that fits right in with the nature of "the boy is mine" and "true story." Her harmonies elevate the track to something that could belong on Dangerous Woman with its seemingly sweet title and more tongue-in-cheek meaning. It's a song that feels reminiscent of an earlier era while also feeling unique to her discography altogether.

2 past life

Track 18 - 3:35

The strings that dominate the instrumental of "past life" are otherworldly. This track explores the complicated nature of finally moving on from someone you thought you knew so well; Grande compares her past lover to a ghost lying in her bed, singing that she always wondered what it'd be like to raise her expectations and want more from those around her. After trying so hard to make their relationship work, she's content to leave what they had so far away from her reality that it's in a past life.

"Phased me just like the moon (Ah-ooh)

I used to think you were the medicine

But you were just code blue

And you're thinking it too and I already knew (I knew)

I just didn't want to waste more time"

Her vocals are much more full on this track than much of the album. Instead of the softer tone and falsettos she leans into, she speaks her truth at full volume, making sure that she's heard loud and clear. The line "I used to think you were the medicine, But you were just code blue" especially stands out to me. With everything Grande's gone through, she thought her ex was the one who made her feel safe and loved. Instead, she reveals that he was the one who actually made her feel even more sick (physically, emotionally, romantically).

1 Hampstead

Track 19 - 3:36

There was no denying that the number one spot belonged to the album's newest closing track. "Hampstead" sees Grande directly referencing the north London neighborhood she lived in while filming Wicked. The track begins with an echoing piano accompanied by the background noise of voices filling a small pub. This atmosphere makes listeners feel like they're right there with her, watching her perform in an intimate venue, all the while wondering if the song she's singing is .

"What makes you think you’re even invited?

The doors are closed with lights off inside and all the while

Therе's no one home, you're still outsidе

I wonder why

What's wrong with a little bit of poison? Tell me

I would rather feel everything than nothing every time

Uh-uh, fear me, stranger

A little bit of sugar, danger

I'd rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view

I do, I do, I do, I do"

Grande closes the door on eternal sunshine as well as on all the criticism she received. Not to make another Grande-Swift comparison, but I couldn't help but think of The Tortured Poets Department's "But Daddy, I Love Him" in the way Grande speaks to those who claim to know everything about her life. "You think you've read the book I'm still writing" is enough to make anyone feel ashamed for engaging in any kind of gossip about the artist who is, at the end of the day, just a woman experiencing slightly elevated versions of emotions we all go through.