After releasing the song of the summer, “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter’s long-awaited album “Short n’ Sweet” was released on Aug. 23. This is her sixth studio album, and her second album with Island Records, her most recent label signing after her five-record deal with Disney.
Although Carpenter has been in the industry for over ten years, her latest singles have topped charts and drawn significant attention to her work. The album’s second single, “Please Please Please” was her first number one song on Billboard’s Hot 100, and “Espresso” was her first song to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
Jack Antonoff, one of the most well-known producers in the pop sphere right now, worked on the record’s production. His recent collaborations include Taylor Swift, who Carpenter recently opened for on her tour.
The album starts off strong with “Taste,” an energetic pop song beginning with the line “I leave quite an impression / five feet to be exact.”
Carpenter sings to her ex’s new lover, saying that her own presence is still lingering despite them being separated. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Obsessed” is similarly themed.
“Please Please Please” is the second song. Carpenter brings out more of her dark humor with lines like “I know you’re cravin’ some fresh air, but the ceiling fan is so nice.” The production has almost an 80s feel, with funky synths and electric guitar.
“Good Graces” starts out with an almost R&B sound but quickly turns into a pop track. Carpenter describes her approach to a relationship from beginning to end; she will put herself all in, but if her partner disrespects her, she will “switch it up like that so fast.”
The fourth song “Sharpest Tool” is where the record starts to slow down. Carpenter’s voice softly starts out singing, “I know you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed” as light guitar builds in the background. Essentially, she is calling her ex unintelligent and confusing during their relationship, and she plays into her own words by saying, “If that was casual, then I’m an idiot.”
Carpenter’s bluntness is a defining trait throughout this album. While her straightforward approach can sometimes seem uncreative, there are other times when it works well with her humor and verbiage.
The next song, “Coincidence,” is another acoustic song with a similar theme of a toxic relationship. With hints of Carpenter’s twang, it almost reads as a country song.
Things speed up a bit with “Bed Chem,” a sensual song filled with innuendos about Carpenter navigating the chemistry and tension of a romantic relationship. Word play and puns are a theme throughout this project, which Carpenter has expressed enjoying and always tries to incorporate into her songs.
The infamous “Espresso” follows, appearing in the final third of the record. Its simplicity and recognition make it feel somewhat out of place, as if it does not quite belong on this album. It is more of a standout single than a piece in the puzzle.
“Dumb & Poetic” is a short ballad that shows off Carpenter’s vocal range. She sings about a manipulative ex who thinks he is all-knowing and well-read, expressed by lines like “Try to come off like you’re soft and well-spoken / Jack off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen.”
“Slim Pickins” is another country-esque track, where Carpenter reflects on the challenges of dating men, emphasizing her struggle to find any with potential and eventually settling.
Another love song lyrically similar to “Bed Chem” is “Juno.” The song’s title references the 2007 movie of the same name that tells the story of a pregnant teenager. Carpenter sings about how much she desires her partner, making the song’s theme easily inferred.
One potential issue for some listeners could be the cringe-worthy nature of certain lyrics. For instance, “God bless your dad’s genetics” from “Juno” does not quite roll off the tongue and comes across as tacky.
“Lie to Girls” is a heartfelt ballad where Carpenter showcases some of the more memorable lyrics on the album like “You don’t have to lie to girls / If they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves.” Carpenter’s emotional delivery makes it one of the standout tracks on the album.
The final track “Don’t Smile” might be the best song sonically. The dreamy sound paired with Carpenter’s layered harmonies creates an ethereal atmosphere. In the chorus, she repeats, “Don’t smile because it happened, baby / Cry because it’s over,” playing with the popular saying “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” This twist adds emotional depth, capturing the bittersweetness of letting go of a relationship.
Carpenter has an incredible range, and although it is highlighted a bit more on this project than in her previous works, it seems like it could have been emphasized even more. A few moments hint at her full potential, but expanding on those would have made the album’s impact even stronger.
Many of the songs on this record have similar themes, but they do not flow together to form a cohesive narrative, which in turn makes it sound repetitive. It is definitely an improvement from her previous albums, but Carpenter still has room for growth in terms of creating a more coherent and dynamic record.