Culture
Music Review: Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande

After a very public divorce, being cast in the movie adaptation of wicked, and a new whirlwind romance, Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album, ‘Eternal Sunshine’, not only discusses themes of peace, loss and longing but also draws inspiration from the 2004 film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.
In the sci-fi romance the two main characters erase their memories of each other in order to get over their breakup only to realise, almost too late, that they still care deeply for one another.
In the title track ‘eternal sunshine’ Grande gives us many great call backs to the Jim Carrey classic with the lyric “so I try to wipe my mind/just so I feel less insane/rather feel painless’’ she goes on to further explore this concept in track 10, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” where she discusses how the relationship (or lack thereof) has become toxic and believes that although she would love to look past any transgressions she cannot maintain a relationship with this person, see the chorus lyrics “we can’t be friends/but I’d like to just pretend/you cling to your papers and pens/wait until you like me again”, many have theorised that this song in particular is a nod to the fans, specifically those that have brought into what they have read online about the singer. Grande is commenting on how changeable the public opinion can be and that we are only ever seeing a small glimpse of her life.
This album is showing the public a new Ariana.
This theme is common with Grande’s music, not only in this album with tracks like the pre-released single “yes, and?” (which interpolates Madonna’s Vogue) but also with some of her previous work like the track “I don’t care” from her third studio album “dangerous woman” where she states: “I used to let some people tell me how to live and what to be/but if I can’t be me, then what’s the point, no.”
This album is showing the public a new Ariana, when interviewing with the Zach Sang show, Grande commented on how this album felt like showcasing two sides of herself “pop Ari” and “human Ari”, she credited this to taking a break (Ariana’s previous release before eternal sunshine was 2020).
“My relationship to music changed and healed a lot through taking a break,’’ said the singer to Zach Sang during an interview. All this is evident in track 4, “Saturn returns Interlude”, where she delves into entering a new chapter of her life post-divorce, Grande uses the celestial event of Saturn Return to signify this.
Women’s Health describes this astrological phenomena as ‘’your Saturn return is when the planet Saturn returns to the exact degree of the same sign it was in when you were born.’’ It takes roughly 30 years for your Saturn to return (Grande is currently 30 years-old) and apparently brings challenging periods and time for self-reflection, which you could argue is one of the overarching themes of this album.
The first lyric of this album is a question (“how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”) which Grande explores throughout the track list and finally answers via her Nonna (grandmother) in the final song, where she says: “And as I told her never go to bed without Kissin’ goodnight/that’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that/and if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it/you’re in the wrong place, get out’” which not only answers the question Grande began with but also leaves fans with a valuable piece of advice.
Grande has given us some of the best pop this year with Eternal Sunshine and it could be considered a modern classic.
While the new pop/human hybrid and Saturn returned Ari has shown us that she is something to look forward to, Grande is still hitting us with her notorious bad girl anthems. One of the few bad girl anthems on this album is track eight “the boy is mine” which Grande has said is her take on the 90s hit of the same name by Brandy and Monica.
In the song Grande serves her “what I want, I get” attitude that has worked amazingly on previous songs like, ‘into you’, “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored”, and “7 rings”. When interviewing with apple music’s Zane Lowe, Grande discusses how “the boy is mine” and “true story” work hand in hand, where “true story” sets up “the boy is mine” to be an elevated bad girl anthem.
While “the boy is mine” makes a great girls’ night hit many fans still wish for her viral leaked song commonly referred to as “fantasize” to be released on streaming platforms. When questioned by Zach Sang about the leaked songs that were flourishing all over TikTok, Grande said: “Those were all written for a TV show… that wasn’t my song [fantasize], that wasn’t for me, it was like a parody of like a 90s girl group vibe, but they [the fans] loved it… it’s so corny but it’s okay, I took the note and I kinda gave them Ariana’s version of that…’’
With all this in mind, it is highly unlikely that we will be getting the 90s R&B/pop song that is ‘fantasize’ however we should not rule out the possibility of getting more songs a-kin to the leaked hit, especially since Grande was keen to pay homage to it.
Throughout Grande’s promotion for ‘Eternal Sunshine’, she has claimed that it is somewhat a concept album (the concept being the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), concept albums can be tricky to do correctly, there is a fine line between a good concept and a gimmick, something Grande has done beautifully is pick a good concept for songs on this album however you can’t really classify this as a concept album when only two of the song fit into the concept.
That’s not to say that this album hasn’t got its merits, any Ariana Grande song you listen to her vocals will always be the focal point and that’s no different on “Eternal Sunshine”, her use of harmony and vocal layering is on point as always, it feels as though Grande has stopped trying to out-sing herself on this album and is truly letting the music speak for itself which works wonderfully for the lyrical side of things, the instrumentals of the album are good, there is nothing wrong with them, but they still leave something to be desired.
The disco-esque bass, staccato piano, and glittery synth flourishes from “bye” are some of the best parts of the album but then you get to a track like “don’t wanna break up again” which feels overly safe instrumentally for such sensitive lyrics, a good producer knows moderation and a great producer knows the limit.
All that being said, Grande has given us some of the best pop this year with “Eternal Sunshine” and it could be considered a modern classic comparable to that of Taylor Swift’s 1989 or Beyoncé’s Lemonade. The overall rating for Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ is 8.5/10, this is the part where she breaks free and safe to say were into it, after the emotional ride that is Grande’s 2024 release there really is no tears left to cry, while more could’ve been explored instrumentally it felt as though the fans got to see a new, evolved Ari who leaves us thrilled and enthusiastic for where this Saturn return cycle will take us!
Culture
Review of The Roses 2025

If something looks perfect from the outside does it mean it actually is?
That’s the concept that director Jay Roach brings to life in the new movie The Roses released in August 2025.
The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses which was originally based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel.
Although unlike the novel the characters instead are shown to struggle with their different careers either rising or falling.
It has been adapted, in my opinion, to make it resonate with women a lot more as in both the novel and first film the women were stay at home mothers who felt unsatisfied.
This appears to be one of the main reasons for the divorces with Barbara (Kathleen Turner) eventually turning to a catering business.
However, within the new modernised version Ivy’s (Olivia Colman) successful career is a point of contempt for Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch).
While it starts off with a more realistic depiction of parents struggling with the loss of a career and a start of a new one, it slowly divulges itself away from the typical divorcee movie.
I watched this movie at the Everyman (luxury I know!) and the grip it had on me as an audience member was outstanding.
With the selection of actors involved in this movie it’s no surprise that there is a mix of comedy and drama making it a satirical black comedy.
While it was delightful to watch, I feel that some audience members might criticise the realism of the movie.
Yet I go to the cinema to be transported from real life so the mix of realism and shock factor was highly entertaining.
A contrasting mix of comedy and darkness
The performances from the actors was exactly what the movie needed.
The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Colman and Cumberbatch was so believable that you would think that they were married in real life.
Their delivery of both the comedy and the rage was again so believable that it sucked me as the audience into what was the “dirty laundry” of their personal lives.
With a supporting cast including Andy Samberg, Allison Janney and others their characters mostly brought the comedy relief needed in to break the movie up.
They also gave us a contrast to the main relationship being shown which helped us recognise how some of the actions were exaggerated for our benefit.
However, some critics online have noted that while it is undeniably a satirical dark comedy, the dark comedy seemed to be held back some times, therefore not always giving it the edge it needed.
I think that for a 15 certificate movie it had just the right amount to stretch over its wide audience.
Another criticism that The Roses received was that the contrast between the comedy and cruelty was sometimes so abrupt that it didn’t hit as hard as it could have.
At some points the comedy seemed out of place which almost gave the film a sort of jarring feel as they changed between the emotions.
The ending is ambiguous which can have mixed reactions from the audience.
Some may like to have the movie tied up neatly at the end whereas others like that they can believe what they want to believe.
I am the latter in the case of this movie as I enjoyed the fact that I could believe either the more macabre ending or not.
To me the ending, without giving any spoilers, had me on the edge of my seat with a real 360 turn.
Again it had the perfect amount of shock factor and comedy which highlighted the overall tone throughout.
I felt that it drew the entire film together nicely especially with the ending performance from Coleman and Cumberbatch.
Culture
Sam Bishop’s new single – Just a Little

Winchester original artist Sam Bishop has been releasing music for almost a decade but after not releasing a new song for the last two years, Just a Little is set to be release this Friday, February 7th.
Sam first got into music when he was in secondary school, after watching Imagine Dragons in the O2 he fell in love with their support act.
As an only child he has always been a creative person, writing stories and songs in his free time.
The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
Sam also enjoyed:”I enjoy feeling nervous but eventually acting felt like second nature, so I decided to give music a go.”
After getting into music in school Sam released his first song in 2016.
“It has been trial and error since with each year getting better and better performing and writing more.”
I asked him whether he has always written his own songs, and he explained: “The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
“That’s the angle I attack music with.”
For Sam music has always been a way to express how he feels.
But what’s the best part of the writing process?
Well, for Sam it’s the feeling of a song coming together as a whole, he compared the writing process to a tap, that it slowly drips until it starts to flow.
“You get a melody and a good lyric. It feels amazing when it all comes together it’s so special, it’s definitely a process it takes time and trial and error.”
Sam’s new single Just a Little, is no different, going through this same process, and has now come together ready for its release this Friday.
It all started in last summer, when Sam was on a flight from Miami to LA, he wasn’t interested in watching the typical films you find on airplanes, and felt creative, this is where the chorus for Just a Little was born.
Being away from family for a prolonged amount of time through working away and travelling gave Sam the feeling of wanting to be connected and keep in touch with people’s lives whilst being away.
Just a Little is about questioning whether you’re enough.
It’s a song full of vulnerability and expressing that and truly allowing yourself to feel those feelings.
After Sam’s travels he got home and revisited the song, from there it started to take off and really build.
He sent the song to his friend Toby who he describes as an unbelievable guitarist, and an excellent musician.
Toby then worked on the song as a production, whilst Sam worked on the lyrics.
Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
By mid-November the song was finished and now is the time for its release.
This song has a different sound to Sam’s previous songs, and he’s excited for people to hear this new style of music from him.
“It’s a very personal song washed under happy and jolly music.
“It’s very current and popular; something you’d expect to hear on the radio.”
Sam hopes that that the release allows people to connect with not just the lyrics but how the song feels.
Following the release Sam has big plans for the next year.
This is the start of a new sound for him, and he hopes more songs like this will follow with maybe one or two before the end of the year.
There are also a number of gigs to be announced for the next three months that he is looking forward to performing.
At the end of our interview Sam said: “Songs will happen, it’s what I love to do it’s so expressive as an art form and it’s something I will always want to do.
“Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
After not releasing a song for two years, once the lyrics were finished and he got the song back from Toby he knew this was the one that this would be the re-release of his music as an original artist.
Just a Little is out at midnight February 7th.
For announcements of new music and dates of performances you can follow Sam on Instagram @sambishopmusician.
Community
Highly anticipated Five Guys restaurant has opened on Winchester High Street

The wait is over for Winchester’s burger lovers, as a new Five Guys restaurant has opened in the heart of the city centre.
The American burger chain, world famous for its customisable smash burgers and seemingly bottomless fries opened on Monday, December 2nd.
It was a soft launch without any ceremony for the restaurant, but the new staff and management immediately had a growing queue of customers on their hands.
Five Guys has taken one of three units from the former Debenhams department store. The other two are Nando’s which opened last month and Pizza Express.
Founded in Virginia in 1986, Five Guys launched in the UK in 2013 and has become a popular choice for burger lovers, including celebrities such as Tommy Fury, Mollie King, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Jama.
There are now 1,800 restaurants worldwide including 171 in the UK.
The new Winchester branch is expected to be a popular addition to the city’s food scene.
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