Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’ released on Aug. 23 marking her sixth studio album. It has been two years since Carpenter’s last release back in 2022, and following a year of performances at various festivals, and opening for Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’, fans anticipated these 12 new tracks. Carpenter is set to begin her ‘Short n’ Sweet Tour’ on Sept. 23.
Erica: 9/10
‘Taste” is the perfect song to set the tone for the album. I love how upbeat and catchy the song is. Carpenter sings about the new person that her ex is with, and how this new person will always be reminded of the fact that they were together before. Carpenter released a music video for this song starring herself along with Jenna Ortega. The video is inspired by the movie “Death becomes Her” with elements of horror, which provides a fun and interesting contrast between the upbeat rhythm, and the theme of the music video.
“He’s funny now all his jokes hit different / Guess who he learned that from”
Track 2: “Please Please Please”
Isabel: 9/10
Track two was released as a single back in June along with an iconic music video, entertaining fans. This song is super catchy and Carpenter’s vocal range really shines through in this song. Carpenter’s live performances of this song from this year have sounded amazing, and showed she is playing a huge role in bringing the early 2000’s pop-star vibe back to the music industry.
“I promise ‘em that you’re different / And everyone makes mistakes / But just don’t”
Erica: 8/10
Right from the intro, the unique melody reminds me of a song you would hear at the beach. It’s perfect for the summertime and Carpenter’s vocals sound so nice with the overall beat. She sings about prioritizing boundaries in a relationship and valuing respect. My favorite part of the song is the outro because her vocals are so melodic and the tune compliments it so nicely.
“Cause no one’s more amazing / at turnin’ lovin’ into hatred”
Isabel: 7/10
The guitar and electronic instrumentals of this song give it a bit of a different vibe, less of my music taste, but still a great overall song. The lyrics revolve around miscommunication, and confusion in a relationship – which I think Carpenter portrays very well and realistically through her lyrics. The melodies get slightly repetitive for me, but in all this is still a great song.
“All the silence is just your strategy / ‘Cause it leaves you so top of mind for me”
Erica: 7/10
One of my favorite elements of this song is the use of the guitar. It’s not as upbeat as previous songs, but I think it’s a good balance with it’s charming guitar chords and creative lyrics. I love her clever lyricism in the bridge, and her sustained vocals throughout. This song definitely gives the vibes of being in a coffee shop, which is ironic since one of her hit songs on the album, is ‘Espresso’.
“Palm springs looks nice but who’s by your side?”
Isabel: 10/10
‘Bed Chem’ is definitely a fan favorite, spreading quickly around social media. The clever lyrics, and more R&B vibe of this song make this track a 10 out of 10 in my opinion. Carpenter’s voice has a light, airy sound, and when combined with the synth–pop beats it makes for a very fun, modern vibe.
“See it in my mind let’s fulfill the prophecy”
Erica: 10/10
The fan favorite “Espresso” was released back in April, and it was No.1 on the Billboard Top 100 for three weeks. I enjoy listening to this one because it’s so upbeat, and the lyrics of this song have become so iconic, especially in the second verse where she sings, “I’m working late / Cause I’m a singer.”
“I’m working late / Cause I’m a singer”
Isabel: 7/10
Track eight is a slow, sad ballad referencing being in a manipulative relationship. This is definitely a more sensitive song, with the acoustic guitar instrumentals and delicate vocals. Although not getting the highest rating from me, mainly just because it is slower and less my vibe, I can still find love for this song as it is full of emotion.
“Well, you crashed the car and abandoned the wreckage”
Erica: 7/10
The ninth track has a bit of a folk tune vibe with a soft melody. In this song, her vocals range goes higher on this song, and sounds angelic and airy. The song is about the struggle to find a compatible partner when it seems that there are not very many suitable options. It isn’t as upbeat, which is why I ranked it lower, but it’s still a nice ballad.
“This boy doesn’t even know the difference between there, their, and they are”
Isabel: 10/10
“Juno” also rates a 10 out of 10 for me, simply because its beat throughout the track is so fun and catchy. The lyrics are definitely shocking to fans, featuring many clever plays on words, but my favorite has to be her repetition of “You make me wanna make you fall in love”. The summer vibes in not only this song, but the entire album bring amazing energy to Carpenter’s discography.
“You make me wanna make you fall in love”
Erica: 9/10
“Lie to Girls” starts off with a quiet melody on the guitar, and then builds up to a beautiful rhythm in the second part of the chorus. The meaning of the song is sort of heartbreaking because it is about the complications and deceptions of a toxic relationship. Carpenter has a way of turning sad messages of her songs into a more uplifting ballad through her vocals, and creative word play. Her delicate vocals are my favorite part of the song, and the outro music was unique as if it was putting a comma in a sentence, before moving onto the end of the sentence which is the last song.
“We love to mistake butterflies for cardiac arrest”
Isabel: 9/10
The R&B vibe that made an appearance earlier in the album, makes a comeback in this final track. A slower tempo, and Carpenter’s softer register make for a super chill vibe that I adore. Although not as poppy, I love the way Carpenter ended this album, this is definitely a top five track of the album for me.
“My heart is heavy now, it’s like a hundred pounds / It’s falling faster than the way you love to shut me down”
Carpenter’s album has a variety of styles ranging from more of a traditional pop vibe to R&B to a hint of country with the guitar. Her word play and vocal ranges surprised fans in most of the tracks, and definitely surprised us too.
