Sabrina Carpenter’s Keeping It “Short n’ Sweet”: Breaking Down the Pop Star’s Newest Album
By Stella Violet
Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth studio album last week. Following the success she received this summer with singles, “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” charting the Billboard Top 100.
The album includes hints of Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman era on the track “Good Graces” and features several songs reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s Debut and Dolly Parton’s album Here You Come Again.
Image Sourced from Sabrina Carpenter's HQ
Carpenter experiments with varied styles in Short n’ Sweet, taking a different approach to previous albums. However, her take on loser exes and her own “bad judgment” remain the same.
Taste - 9/10
The first track off her album fits perfectly with both “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” with a dance-able pop track and lyrics anyone can sing along to.
Shortly after her album was released, Carpenter announced her music video for “Taste,” starring herself and fellow Disney Channel actress Jenna Ortega.
Both the song and video include risqué material and a revenge plot on a cheating boyfriend, paving the way for the rest of the album.
Please Please Please 9.5/10
Following “Taste”, is a song that took over TikTok and Billboard this summer. Featuring a music video with her boyfriend (at the time), Barry Keoghan.
The lyrics took on a more vulnerable approach to Carpenter’s love life, giving the public insight into her and Keoghan’s relationship.
She talks about not always making the right choices, and that deserves respect all on its own.
You can’t blame a girl for wanting to protect herself and her reputation from a himbo-type man with an ego complex.
This song and video were both bold choices which were received well in the public eye. Making Carpenter more relatable towards her majority-female audience.
With Carpenter even admitting she’s “just a girl” when performing the song live at NYC’s Gov Ball earlier this summer.
Good Graces 7/10
This song is a general warning for any man in Carpenter’s life to keep her in “good graces,” or they just might find themselves in her discography.
The song is catchy and sounds like the lovechild of Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman album mixed with Positions.
“Good Graces” stands apart from the rest of the album with a completely different sound from the rest of the album’s more guitar-focused approach.
While the song is still very “Sabrina” lyrically, the sound doesn’t quite flow well with the rest of the album as a whole.
Image Sourced from Sabrina Carpenter's HQ
Sharpest Tool 10/10
Arguably one of the most raw songs on the album is “Sharpest Tool.”
The song features a production credit from the current “king of pop,” Jack Antonoff.
Meaning the track will either be a hit or miss in the public eye (Ex. songs from Midnights, ChemTrails Over the Country Club.)
However, this track strips down to the real root of many relationships, which is miscommunication.
This track does not hold back with an experimental approach and lyrics that show Sabrina’s vulnerable side in relationships.
The best easter egg/innuendo in this song is halfway through when the track seemingly sounds like it is going in one ear and out the other by switching to different sides of your speaker.
Creating the illusion of trying to talk to or reason with a man who couldn’t care less if you live or die.
Coincidence 10/10
The fifth song of the album focuses on another relatable relationship issue, deception and lies.
“The way you told me the truth, minus seven percent.”
She uses the word “coincidence” as a casual term for what men in relationships who are hiding things use to “throw off” their counterparts.
A perfect example of fighting words for an angry woman who's been scorned by a man.
The main reason this song receives a high rating is because of the song's ability to be so powerful, yet catchy.
With hints of Harry Styles’ Harry’s House through the background vocals mixed with lyrics that remind you of an older Taylor Swift album.
There is something so nostalgic about the way this track sounds, yet it is different from anything other artists have released lately.
Bed Chem 8/10
Halfway through the album, we get “Bed Chem.” A song filled with pop-music and a catchy beat with a more modern take on relationships.
Carpenter uses witty lyrics to convey the message of wanting someone who may not be the best on paper, but definitely the best in bed.
Take “come ride on me, I mean camaraderie,” for example. A perfect innuendo followed up with a little bit of class is exactly what Gen-Z loves.
This song is heavily targeted towards girls who are trying to navigate the modern dating world by having to sacrifice a good looking guy for horrible morals.
It’s so difficult to ignore, yet like the man, the song is so catchy you simply can’t.
Image Sourced from Sabrina Carpenter's HQ
Espresso 10/10
The song that took over the internet and Billboard this summer, “Espresso.”
It isn’t serious, but that is the whole point, and that’s what makes this track work.
“That’s that me Espresso” might not be the most genius lyric of all time, but boy is it catchy.
Overall, a feel-good song that you can sing in your car with all your girlfriends is a song deserving of a truly perfect rating.
Dumb & Poetic 8/10
As humans evolve, so does a new archetype of man, the “Dumb & Poetic.”
This track sheds light on a man who’s read every self help book, goes to therapy and ultimately thinks he’s better than you in every sense of the word.
Spoiler alert, the mushrooms you took taught you things girls have known since a very young age.
The song, at times, can feel like a girl arguing with the microphone.
However, the lyrics override that angst by sending off a message of comfort to those who have had to deal with all the “Dumb & Poetic’s” of the world.
Slim Pickins 10/10
The ninth track off Short n’ Sweet is “Slim Pickins.”
The song perfectly encapsulates the current state of dating in the 21st century.
Now, more than ever, divorce rates are at an all time high for Millenials and Gen X. Leaving Gen Z’s struggling to maintain a relationship longer than a few weeks.
With the self-labeled “loveless generation,” this track resonates with the title and expresses the struggle that women must face when seeking romance.
The guitar strings and background vocals add to the melodramatic tone of the song, with elements of Kacey Musgraves and Dolly Parton.
This is definitely a song that can be added to your playlist, screamed into your pillow or sung on your way home from work.
Image Sourced from Sabrina Carpenter's HQ
Juno 7/10
As we reach the third and final leg of the album, Carpenter leads with “Juno.”
This track takes on a softer approach about loving a man and ultimately wanting to have his baby, including a reference to the film Juno.
Unlike most other tracks, this song focuses on the positives and how deeply one can fall in love.
“Juno” is fun-loving, upbeat and just plain sweet.
Lie To Girls 8/10
The tenth track on the album is a personal attack on the men Carpenter chooses in her life, and she takes accountability on the way she handles situations.
Another perfect example of her expressing “If he’s that dumb, I’m even worse.”
The melancholic song expresses how girls will lie to themselves about their boyfriends until “they die,” just to keep them around.
And, how love disguises all, through rose-colored glasses, including horrible traits in a man.
“Girls will lose their goddamn minds for you.”
When you’re in love, everything else seems meaningless.
A man could show a woman his true colors and she’d still decide to stay and believe the best in them, all in the name of love. What a bittersweet concept.
Don’t Smile 9/10
The final track on the album is a twist on the ending of a relationship.
The song opens up with the line, “don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over.”
The feeling of wanting someone to miss you but you truly have no clue how they are feeling is meaningful and real.
After a breakup, you’ll always miss the person and hope the feeling is mutual. But, once the grief period is over, you truly hope they know how much they’ll be missing.
“Don’t Smile” is the perfect ending to Short n’ Sweet, leaving the listener on a thoughtful note, much like the end of a relationship.
Image Sourced from Sabrina Carpenter's HQ
Overall Score: Short n’ Sweet 8.5/10
The album lived up to the hype it’s received in the past few months, with the hit-release of two songs this past summer.
The experimental take on this album was unique and overall worked, paving the way for potential new audiences to take a listen.
Carpenter did a great job at releasing a solid album that is long-enough to find a favorite song or two, and short enough to get to know each song pretty quickly.
Unlike other albums we’ve seen this summer, it was a stand-alone, which honestly may be a reason it works so well.
Adding features to an album this short does not seem like a good or necessary idea and this ended up proving her strength as an independent artist.
Carpenter has truly set a new precedent for future pop-girl albums and I am truly excited to see what she brings to the table next.
