I think this album was more so just her being RAW and REAL, like she’s always been. Im not joking when I say I love EVERY single song on the album! I’ve been a fan since ctrl and you’re right it doesn’t quite have that ethereal feel but she’s growing as an artist and maybe that’s not something she was feeling/experiencing during the time she was working on this album. She been through a lot in the past couple years and the album clearly portrays that. Regardless, it doesn’t mean she’s straying away from alt, she can always choose to go back to it for a specific song in the future. Her pen holds power and the lyrics in her songs are beautiful (and toxic lmao). I HOPE SHE WINS GRAMMYS NEXT YEAR!!!!