We’re Working Late, Because We Can’t Stop Listening to Short n’ Sweet
Sabrina Carpenter is this year’s pop princess. The petite, blonde bombshell has taken the world by storm with her playful humour, cheeky lyrics, and of course, her platform shoes.
Carpenter, who has been in the industry for about 10 years now, had humble beginnings on Disney channel, releasing her first four albums through their label, Hollywood Records. While there have been many fans who grew up with her, Carpenter scored her first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 this June. Please Please Please is a love song that demands her romantic partner not to humiliate her and confirm others’ doubts. “Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another/ I beg you don’t embarrass me, motherfucker.” The first single from this new era, Espresso, peaked at number three, although both fought for the top spot on other charts.
Espresso has been the fans’ song of the summer, remaining steady inside the Top 10 on Billboard and making Spotify history for hitting one billion streams in only 117 days. This summery, disco bop has kept people in a chokehold with her harmonious vocals, as well as the peak lyric “that’s that me espresso,” which transformed into a meme throughout its release. She debuted this track at Coachella, describing it as a “little song” she wanted to put out before the festival. It turned out to be even bigger than expected and continued to carry us through the summer right up to Short n’ Sweet’s release.
The third single from the Short n’ Sweet era is called Taste, with a new music video released the day of the album. Starring herself and Jenna Ortega, the two women violently fight over a man, eventually killing him and then bonding over his insecurities. The smooth, rock-esque production that could fit in a romcom backs Sabrina’s sweet vocals, with messy lyrics like “you’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you” and “I know I’ve been known to share.” This sets up the album perfectly, as it is a collection of blunt, fun and heartfelt songs. Certain tracks reflect on her doomed relationships, some delineate strong female desire, and others demolish the character of the men who have wronged her.
Good Graces shows Carpenter’s R&B side, which she has demonstrated in some previous tracks like Honeymoon Fades and Nonsense. With a touch of disco, Carpenter unravels her inner menace on this refreshing track “cause no one’s more amazin’ at turnin’ lovin’ into hatred” and “you do something sus, kiss my cute ass bye.”
Conversely, on Sharpest Tool, she examines her relationship that lacks communication, “we never talk about it.” The drum picks up during each chorus but remains mellow throughout, yet the repetitiveness of this track exhibits the cyclical nature of her unhealthy relationship. Continuing with Coincidence, Carpenter is enduring the turmoil caused by a former flame wrecking her current union, “and you’ve lost all your common sense.” This song has a creative guitar riff with “na na na’s” in the background that make you want to sit around a campfire and clap along.
The last two songs on the album, Lie to Girls and Don’t Smile, are slower and sadder. The former analyzes the effect of a toxic man on women. With deep, relatable lyrics, Carpenter conveys that a man who lies leads women to deceive themselves and lose their identities. “You don’t have to lie to girls/ If they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves” “Girls will cry and girls will lie and/ Girls will do it till they die for you.” The latter flips a common cliché on its head: “don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over.” Her humor still shines through here and follows someone moving on to another woman “oh, you’re supposed to think about me every time you hold her.”
Short n’ Sweet also explores themes of passion in relationships. Bed Chem is a raunchy and flirtatious track to mark the middle of the album. Her sexual innuendos such as “come right on me, I mean camaraderie” and “I bet the thermostat’s set at six-nine” complement the sleek production and higher octave that Carpenter sings in, and of course paint the picture of a steamy night in bed. Or on Juno, a dreamy yet devilish song that refers to getting it so good that she becomes pregnant. The lyric “one of me is cute, but two, though?” cleverly ties to the title. “Can’t help myself, hormones are high” and, “mark your territory” are some examples of the lust running through her veins. This track is pop perfection and the most fun to listen to.
Two songs that serve as a small acoustic break in the middle of the album are Dumb & Poetic and Slim Pickins, both attacking the men in her life in different ways. Dumb & Poetic is a blistering indictment of a man who manipulates her, using alluring language to make her stay. The most powerful lyrics in this song condemn someone who does not embody the true aspects of manhood “just ‘cause you act like one doesn’t make you a man.”
Slim Pickins features a faster tempo with percussive guitar picking and violins, giving it an easy country vibe. She disses a man by stating “this boy doesn’t even know the difference between there, their, and they are,” while also saying that she will continue “moaning and bitching” about the lack of options in the dating world.
It is safe to say that Carpenter knows how to blend genres yet creates a body of work that is still a whole. Short n’ Sweet is unapologetically Sabrina, and carefully weaves her humour, feelings, and pleasure throughout. The album promotes songs that are feminine, mischievous, and emotional, offering something for everyone. It may have a short run time at just 36 minutes long, but it is the type of record that feels sweeter with each and every listen.
