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Jul 31, 2026While her new album, Petal, is a moody, bittersweet exploration of her relationship to the limelight that shows flashes of incisiveness, it ultimately can’t overcome its self-imposed limitations.
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Jul 31, 2026["Eternal Sunshine"] was a work of sharp craftsmanship and tonal variety, but “Petal” feels murky and monochrome in comparison. As usual, Grande’s 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.
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Jul 31, 2026She’s admittedly gone a bit “feral,” and her newfound experimentation is surprisingly ear-catching, though at times disappointingly pussyfooted, especially when paired with clumsy lyricism.
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Jul 31, 2026Petal is an album of quiet, controlled, vetted anger; there’s no rush of blood to the head. Maybe it’s because Grande is rehashing familiar topics – it’s far from the first time she’s dissected fame, romance or self-worth in her music – that she sounds numb to it, tired of treading the same ground.
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Jul 31, 2026As much as I want to buy into the f..k-it rage and ferocity Grande aims to channel here, petal pulls too many punches for that impulse to resonate.
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Jul 31, 2026It’s a chapter, a strange one that demonstrates, sometimes, how magnificent Grande can be. Making it all the more disappointing when she isn’t.