After announcing a new album back in early June, Sabrina Carpenter has left us all anxiously waiting for Short n’ Sweet to come out. Since Espresso and Please Please Please quickly became everyone’s “songs of the summer,” Carpenter’s spike in popularity over the past few years has been far from secret. From her unpredictable and PG-13 rated outros when performing her infamous song Nonsense, to surprising us with a new boyfriend, Barry Keoghan, who has starred in one of her latest music videos, there’s no doubt Carpenter has blossomed into much more than just Rowan Blanchard's co-star in Girl Meets World on Disney Channel.
As someone who stayed up until 11:59 on the night of August 22nd to be one of the first listeners, it’s not quite what I was expecting. Please Please Please and Espresso had me anticipating an album full of songs that were upbeat, lovey-dovey, and exciting. Instead, there was a surprising amount of songs on this album that would’ve been what I cried to when my summer situationship ended. Most of the songs are slower tempo, and each one seems to tackle a different issue commonly seen in many modern relationships, ones that many women and teens can relate to. From relationship imposter syndrome to feeling like you’ve been single too long, Carpenter seems to cover it all in Short n’ Sweet.
Her album opens with a snarky, punk-rock style song titled Taste. This song addresses the classic dilemma that lingers in the back of every girl's mind when she’s out with her boyfriend, “he’s already done this, with her”. “Her” being that one ex he has that you just can’t seem to get out of your mind. Except, in this situation, Carpenter is singing as Her. She flips the narrative with lyrics like:
“You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you,”
Yeah, ouch! It’s an empowering and fun track with a music video that exceeded my, quite high, expectations. This song and Coincidence, track 5, are perfect for letting out all of your pent up female rage.
Along with that is Track #11, Lie to Girls, and it goes out to all of the “Delulu” queens who are always doing the most in order to defend their “Chad” over and over again. I particularly love when she sings,
“We love to read the cold, hard, facts, and swear they’re incorrect”.
We’ve all been there, defending that one guy’s actions over and over to our friends and mom, even though they see right through us. It’s a negative habit that can be degrading and harmful to a woman, causing the negative relationships around her to further, but this song can turn a girl self-aware after just a few listens. It’s the perfect “Sad girl Autumn” song as we enter the winter months, and will go great on everyone's Fall playlists next to Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore albums.
“Guess I’ll end this life alone” are the perfect opening lyrics to track #9, a song that seriously makes me wonder if Sabrina and her team have access to my messaging history. Slim Pickens’ is an easy going, delicate song whose guitar and drum melody give it a prominent country vibe. Sabrina yields a sort-of southern accent when singing lyrics like:
“A boy who's nice, that breathes. I swear, he’s nowhere to be seen.”
This song is perfect for everyone who’s been single a little too long, and has realized that it’s not your own fault, it's everyone else's! This one, and Single Ladies By Beyoncé will be a power combo for everyone's Galentine's Day parties this year.
Next up is Track #4, Sharpest Tool, which reminisces on a relationship that ended abruptly, and confusingly, a scenario many of us can relate to. She sings about the classic dilemma of boys never wanting to talk about feelings, emotions, or any of that not-so-manly stuff. Her lyrics make the guy she’s singing about seem like the words “male manipulator” personified,
“How you guilt tripped me to open up to you, then you logged out, leaving me dumbfounded.” and “If that was causal then I’m an idiot”.
Sharpest Tool isn’t the only song that touches on these issues, though. Dumb and Poetic, and Don’t Smile, are two more from this album that have a similar feel.
There's 11 tracks on Short n’ Sweet. I know no one needs me to remind them of the lyrics to Espresso and Please Please Please, and the other two are ones that I feel are what you would expect from Carpenter. Good Graces and Bed Chem are just her classic up-beat and fun pop tunes.
Carpenter announced the Short n’ Sweet tour over two months before the album was even out, but by no means did that slow the demand for tickets, and rightfully so. She’s playing to her audience in all the right ways. Every lovesick teen will have this album on their Spotify wrapped this December, and I’d be lying if I said it won’t be on mine. I see this album as far from her peak. Based on how much content, music and merchandise she’s been releasing lately, I feel as though Carpenter and her team have big things in store for the future, and I can’t wait to see what they are!
Nora Medlock
11th Grade
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts
instagram - @nc.medlock
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