FIRST LISTEN: Ariana Grande’s petal — What Stood Out Before I Had Time to Overthink It
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
There is a difference between hearing an album and knowing an album.
Usually, by the time we call something a review, we’ve listened repeatedly, read the lyrics, picked apart the production and probably encountered a hundred other opinions about what we’re supposedly meant to hear.
First Listen is the opposite.
This is Amaryllise’s first-impression series: one uninterrupted listen, no deep dive and no pretending we’ve completely understood an album we’ve only just met. These are the songs that immediately stand out, the ones that don’t, and the opinions that will probably change.
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
First impressions
Going into petal, I wasn’t particularly interested in trying to figure out where every song sits within Ariana Grande’s wider discography. On a first listen, what matters more to me is much simpler: does anything make me want to immediately hear it again?
The answer here is yes.
Overall, I liked petal. I wouldn’t say every song grabbed me instantly, and there are parts of the album that I suspect will need another few listens before I know how I actually feel about them. But when the album works, there are already some very obvious standouts.
Three in particular: “Big Feelings,” “Warning Signs” and “Like I Do.”
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
“Big Feelings”
“Big Feelings” was one of those tracks where my attention was immediately caught, particularly by that groovy-ass bass. The chorus, complemented by the bass, synth and her beautifully soft vocals? I honestly was flailing around like a morose fish out of water.
On an album I’m hearing for the first time, that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give a song.
It’s an early favourite, and probably one of the tracks I’m most interested to return to. The ending section in particular, at around 1:50, was honestly amazing. The layering of the vocals—ugh, gorgeous.
I will say, I wish the ending was slightly bigger, but that might just be my brain-rotted thought process requiring everything to be ridiculously overstimulating :(.
Because that ending is sharp. It stops and I’m sitting there desperate for more.
Right now, though? “Big Feelings” is UP THERE.
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
“Warning Signs”
Then there’s “Warning Signs.”
Another immediate standout.
Am I crazy, or does it sound similar to the previous song? My brain may have moved way too fast past the previous track. UGH, I WANT TO GO BACK AND LISTEN.
But I can’t. That’s against the rules. First listen means FIRST LISTEN…
I hate to break it to you, but I may have broken the rules.
I NEEDED to go back and figure out exactly what drew me in.
And I have now come to the conclusion that it was the opening. That beautiful pad—at least, I think it’s a pad—mixing with Ari’s clean vocals immediately got me. Then there’s the bass underneath “Monday, I got you all over me”, followed by that weird little sound effect around “Friday, you’re suddenly ghosting me.”
Yep. That’s it. That’s what got me.
There are just so many tiny production choices happening underneath her vocals that my brain clearly picked up on before I consciously realised what I was listening to.
On a side note…
Is this song about red flags?
Hence… warning signs?
AHHHHHH.
Okay. I can already feel my GCSE English resuscitating itself, absolutely desperate to pick apart and dissect this track…
Although—and I ONLY know this because I accidentally stumbled across a few clips on TikTok—I have a sneaking suspicion that being picked apart might actually be part of the wider meaning behind this album.
Being scrutinised, dissected and consumed by the industry, perhaps?
I could be completely wrong. Please forgive me.
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO WONDER.
I won’t dive too deep just yet o.o
That’s for the replay.
For now, “Warning Signs” was stunning, but the way it blends so seamlessly into—
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
“Like I Do”
Oh.
OH.
I think this might be my favourite.
The hard, crunchy bass??? I think you may have noticed the running theme here. My adoration for bass in general is extremely difficult to beat.
I wish I could focus on the lyrics, I really do, but then I physically gasped when she said:
“I am busy keeping your girl inspired.”
EXCUSE ME?
There was no need for a replay. No need for a relisten. I heard those words as clear as day—and, as clear as day, I could feel my hip jutting out in solidarity because yes, ma’am. I, too, feel like I be keeping people inspired.
(Only when I’m in my man-eater, my-only-competition-is-me, I-am-better-than-you phase. That phase is incredibly short-lived and seems to align perfectly with the exact moments I need to motivate myself. Please note: this is HEAVILY a joke :))
Anyway.
The layering. The vocals. Ariana Grande is honestly beyond human comprehension at this point.
And then—
“NO ONE FUCKS YOU LIKE I DO?”
HELLO???
Can you tell I’m listening to this as I furiously react to this beautiful playlist?
Because I am.
And I think that’s exactly why “Like I Do” has taken the lead. I’m not analysing it. I’m not sitting here trying to work out the cleverest interpretation of the lyrics or comparing it to the rest of Ariana’s discography.
I’m just reacting.
The bass hits. The vocals layer. Ariana says something insane. I lose my mind.
I think that pretty much sums up my relationship with most of Ariana Grande’s music. I can’t help but adore her creativity, and as an artist myself, one of the things I find most admirable is when an artist can portray art through their voice rather than simply sing the words put in front of them.
And Ariana does exactly that.
Her voice doesn’t just sit on top of the production; it becomes part of it. The harmonies, the layering, the softness and the frankly ridiculous amount of control she has over her voice all become pieces of the production themselves.
Sometimes I’m listening to what she’s saying.
Sometimes I’m listening to how she’s saying it.
And sometimes, apparently, I’m too distracted by the bass to do either.
Either way, “Like I Do” has me.
Current favourite. No debate.
…for now.
(Please insert the Grinch manically rubbing his hands together while plotting to steal Christmas joy… except I’m plotting the inevitable destruction of my own ranking when I realise, a few listens from now, that my choices have changed dramatically.
Future me is coming for this list, and she looks DELIGHTED about it.. I think, it would be rather anti-climatic if my list stayed the same)
Photo Credits: @arianagrande and @teamariana
Current ranking
- Like I Do
- Big Feelings
- Warning Signs
But I am approximately one song away from changing my mind, so absolutely nothing here should be trusted yet.
So… what about the rest?
In all honesty?
I can’t remember the other songs.
I recognise that two of the most talked-about tracks are “I Hate That I Made You Love Me” and “Petal,” but I almost feel like mentioning those would be cheating. They’ve been constantly playing on my TikTok page, so can I really call my reaction to them a first listen?
Probably not.
And weirdly, that’s part of what makes doing a genuine first listen interesting. We’re living in an era where it’s actually quite difficult to encounter a major pop album completely blind. A snippet becomes a TikTok sound, a chorus appears in an edit, a lyric gets posted everywhere and suddenly you’ve heard half a song twenty times without ever intentionally pressing play.
So I’m leaving those two alone for now.
What I can say is that I’m genuinely excited to listen to petal again.
Next time, I want to actually analyse the words and meanings in a very GCSE English Literature manner—dragging out skills I haven’t used in years and inevitably throwing around odd words like “tantalising” as if I’m trying to convince an examiner that the curtains being blue represent the crushing inevitability of human despair.
You know. Real music journalism.
But above all, I’m intrigued to see whether my opinions change after a few weeks of serious listening.
Will “Like I Do” still be my favourite?
Will I discover a song that I somehow completely ignored this time?
Will “Warning Signs” actually sound anything like “Freak,” or was my brain simply moving too fast to process the transition?
And will I still be begging for that “Big Feelings” outro to give me ten more seconds?
I genuinely don’t know.
That’s why I’m not giving petal a rating yet. I’m not even going to pretend this is my definitive opinion of the album.
I’ve listened once.
I liked what I heard.
Now let’s see what survives the replay.
