By Claire Barickman Editor-in-Chief
On August 23, 2024, Sabrina Carpenter released her highly anticipated album “Short n’ Sweet.” Although this album is technically Carpenter’s sixth studio album, she considers this her sophomore album because it is only her second album where she had control over the music she was making.
After opening for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” Carpenter’s fame seemed to skyrocket overnight, so when she released her first single “Espresso,” the song instantly became a hit and gave Carpenter her first ever #1. The success of her first single made people even more excited for “Short n’ Sweet,” and the album did not disappoint, being so popular that it even reached #1 on The Billboard Hot 100.
“Short n’ Sweet” opens with the third single off the album, “Taste.” This fun and funky song showcases Carpenter’s cheeky humor and willingness to laugh off her past messy “situationships” perfectly. The opening line to “Taste” perfectly encapsulates what is to come with the rest of the album: “Oh, I leave quite an impression. Five feet to be exact.” The song follows a girl whose ex gets back with his old girlfriend, but she knows that her “taste” will still be on his lips when he’s kissing his girlfriend.
Carpenter follows this amazing opener with her second single “Please Please Please.” This 80s-inspired track is filled with funky bass, fun synths and the perfect interactive clap during the chorus. In “Please Please Please,” Carpenter begs her partner not to break her heart and embarrass her the way her past lovers have, a sentiment that many people can relate to.
Jumping ahead to track four, “Sharpest Tool,” the first of the slower songs on “Short n’ Sweet.” This song is more laid back in terms of production with a guitar throughout and only during the chorus do more instruments come in. In this song, Carpenter voices her struggles with an ex who changed his mind about her seemingly overnight. “Sharpest Tool” has a similar feel to some of her past songs “Tornado Warnings” and “Skinny Dipping,” as they are some of her slower songs that discuss her struggles with her exes.
Track six is Carpenter’s first single off the album “Espresso,” the upbeat, poppy song of the summer. This is easily the catchiest of Carpenter’s songs of the album with its upbeat production and singable funny lyrics, I mean who wasn’t singing this song all summer? This was the first of Carpenter’s songs to ever reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was no surprise after she debuted it at her packed Coachella set.
Hopping ahead to track eleven “Lie to Girls,” this emotion-filled song is once again one of the slower songs with the majority of the instrumentation just being a guitar in the background. This decision to keep the production simple highlights the emotions in Carpenter’s voice as she reveals these ugly truths about how she acts in relationships and how she allows these boys to get away with awful actions by lying to herself. This is another one of Carpenter’s songs that is sadly relatable for many people, especially women, as she highlights in this song with the second verse: “It’s lucky for you I’m just like my mother, and my sisters, all my friends… We love to read the cold hard facts and swear they’re incorrect.”
The final song on “Short n’ Sweet” is track twelve “Don’t Smile.” The song adds a twist to the phrase “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” and instead the main chorus is “Don’t smile because it happened, cry because it’s over.” This sad twist of an often uplifting phrase allows Carpenter to portray her feelings about not wanting her ex to ever get over their relationship, she wants them to feel regret about how things ended. On top of the obvious meaning, the song also works as a perfect way of closing out the album, with Carpenter practically telling her fans that her album is over.
Overall “Short n’ Sweet” is an incredible album that I would recommend to anyone who loves fun “girly-pop” music. The vocals in this album are by far some of Carpenters strongest that she’s ever had. The way she was able to perfectly adapt to all of the different genres incorporated into this album is a testament to her amazing singing ability.
