As I’ve touched on many times before, your opinions can always shift, especially when it comes to music or any form of art you hold dear. 

As you grow and change, so can your relationship with some of your favorite things. Here’s some albums that have only warmed on me with time, whether it be for certain circumstances or my own ignorant oversights. 

Ariana Grande – eternal sunshine (2024): 6.4 → 8.1

While I was pretty lukewarm on Ariana Grande’s deeply personal seventh studio album upon release, I now see it as a defining moment in her career that could even rival some of her best work.

I’ve regretted my initial thoughts on eternal sunshine basically since the review was published over a year ago now. From my constant comparisons to her previous albums and other media, not paying enough attention to the lyrical content and vocal work, the list goes on and on.

Though over the past year, I found myself going back to this record more and more. Whether that be with the release of the magical Wicked film, more recently with the stellar brighter days ahead deluxe tracks or just returning to the songs I wasn’t sure about on first listen, I realized I had this record completely wrong.

While I don’t think it’s perfect, it’s still some of Grande’s most vulnerable and down-to-earth work yet, completely worthy of being placed up next to her classics.

I feel like I spent my entire review looking for the Ariana I’d recognize, even though she was right in front of me the whole time.

Tracks to try: “eternal sunshine,” “i wish i hated you” and all the new bonus tracks

Mac Miller – Circles (2020): 8.0 → 8.9

As I continue to dive deeper into Mac Miller’s varied and expansive discography, the more I’ve come back to the soft, tranquil and devastating posthumous album Circles.

Of course I was skeptical coming into this record, as usually with posthumous albums, especially in the realm of rap, they’re not always received the best and can come off as skeezy cash grabs more than anything else.

But I don’t know why I ever doubted Miller’s thoughtful estate and the production prowess of Jon Brion.

For one, Miller had already nearly finished most of these songs, as Circles would’ve been the quick follow-up to 2018’s beloved Swimming. In turn, there was a lot of authenticity and sincere emotion left behind for Mac fans and music fans alike to cling to after the artist’s tragic passing.

Now five years removed from Circles’ release, it remains my favorite Mac project and further proves just what a creative mind and kind person we lost that day.

Tracks to try: “Good News,” “Hand Me Downs,” “I Can See”

Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024): 7.5 → 8.4

Doechii has had quite the eventful year so far, everything from the well-deserved Grammy win to just the immense amount of exposure, praise and new fans, and I wish I was fully onboard sooner.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my eye on Doechii since at least 2022, with her one-of-a-kind voice, flow and personality. Yet, I don’t think I fully grasped how special of an artist she was until recently, coming back to her seminal mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal more and more.

I still believe she has the potential to surpass this once we finally get her debut studio album, but there’s no denying the sheer amount of talent and charisma that’s on display here. 

Tracks to try: “Denial Is a River,” “Death Roll,” “Slide”

The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018): 7.3 → 9.5

I think I love this album as much as I hate it, in that I hate how well it’s aging.

The 1975 are a band I have a long and storied history with and I don’t think I’m alone in saying that. What I once thought was one of their weaker moments has slowly turned into their magnum opus for me. A Brief Inquiry came out in the fall of 2018 and has only become more relevant and unsettling with time.

From the record’s expansive themes and subject matter to the more forward-thinking and futuristic soundscapes, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been over six years since the album’s release.

The group’s commentary on becoming more dependent on the internet in terms of culture, activism, relationships and everything in between couldn’t be more accurate to today’s standards and the sociopolitical conflicts being presented have only persisted as well.

While I continue to be in awe of this record today I also see it as a benchmark in our current musical and societal landscape, in hopes that one day we can get out of this dark and depressing rut we still find ourselves in time and time again.

Tracks to try: “How to Draw / Petrichor,” “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes),” “Surrounded by Heads and Bodies”

To reiterate, it’s okay to have a change in feelings, no matter the reason. I would implore you to check out these albums or relisten to some of your favorites or least-favorites to see if anything’s changed for you. It’s a great exercise to see how you’ve grown over time and into the person you are today. Art is forever, yet humans aren’t necessarily constant.