When I went to New York City this summer, Times Square was promoting the imminent release of Sabrina Carpenter’s upcoming album, Short n’ Sweet.
“Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please” played on the radio over and over.
I counted down the days until I could listen to the entire album.
Sabrina Carpenter is becoming one of the big names of pop music right now. But this is her sixth album. So where’s all this new hype coming from?
The biggest thing that boosted Carpenter’s popularity was opening at the Eras tour. Taylor Swift’s one of the biggest celebrities in the world right now, so Sabrina performing at some of the biggest concerts exploded her own popularity.
She’s been in the industry for years, getting her start on the Disney channel show Girl Meets World. Her debut single, “Can’t Blame A Girl For Trying,” is ten years old. She really started hitting the mainstream with her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send, featuring hits such as “Nonsense” and “Feather.”
Short N’ Sweet spent three weeks at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart, making it the second longest running top album of the year. Her singles “Espresso,” “Please, Please, Please,” and “Taste” together have matched a record set decades ago by the Beatles themselves. It’s her first album to be certified platinum.
Sabrina Carpenter is credited as a writer on all twelve songs, as is Amy Allen. The other writers on the album are Julia Michaels, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jack Antonoff, Julian Bunetta, and Steph Jones. Ryan, Kirkpatrick, Bunetta, and Antonoff doubled as producers. Many writers and producers helped with playing instruments or providing background vocals.
But this is all the background. What are the actual songs like?
The album starts with “Taste”, which is an upbeat song about how your impact on a partner doesn’t go away after you break up. The music video stars Sabrina and Jenna Ortega, violently fighting over a guy. The contrast between the light music and dark visuals make it comedic as neither girl stays injured for long.
“Please Please Please” was the second single released before the album and is the second song on Short n’ Sweet. It chronicles her attempt at dating someone everyone disapproves of, asking him to “act like a stand up guy.” She is at no point helpless in the song, highlighted by her quote of “If you don’t want to cry to my music/Don’t make me hate you prolifically.”
“Sharpest Tool” is the fourth song on the album and the first sad song of the album. Unlike “Please Please Please,” which is also about dating someone bad for her, but has Sabrina in a reactionary position. Her lover is ignoring her and won’t talk out their issues, leaving Carpenter feeling manipulated and vulnerable.
“Espresso” was the first single released and is the seventh song on the album. It’s by far the most popular song off the album, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard Global 200, and earning Sabrina’s first VMA win. The song itself is a bubbly pop number with a groovy feel and memorable lyrics. The song is filled with Carpenter flirting without much substance, but the lack of baggage makes it easy to listen to.
“Lie To Girls” is the eleventh song on the album and one of the saddest. Sabrina knows she’s being lied to by her boyfriend, but she’s more put off by the act of lying than what he’s covering up. The thesis of the song is that lying to girls is pointless because “if they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves.”
The final song on the album is “Don’t Smile.” It flips the Dr. Seuss quote “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” on its head and applies it to a recent breakup. It mirrors the opening song, “Taste,” with a bitter angle. Instead of assuring that she’s still a part of her ex, she’s just desperate for her ex to be missing her as much as she’s missing him.
Overall, the album is a fun pop experience with elements of disco and country. Sabrina Carpenter has a strong voice and a fun beat behind her. If you want to spend an afternoon listening to a new album, I’d recommended Short n’ Sweet in a heartbeat.