American singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth studio album “Short n’ Sweet” on Friday, Aug. 23. Carpenter began her career as a Disney star but slowly rose to fame through her studio albums such as “Emails I Can’t Send.” However, her name has become widely known this summer following the release of her hit singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” which garnered over 1.7 billion streams combined. With the release of “Short n’ Sweet”, Carpenter announced her fifth tour and first arena tour, scheduled to begin on Sept. 23, 2024.
The album kicks off with “Taste,” a trending song on the album among her fans. Carpenter expands on her experience in a relationship where her ex-boyfriend is rekindling his relationship with another girl. Throughout the song, Carpenter uses taste as a metaphor for her lingering presence in her ex’s new relationship. The song is cheeky, poking fun at “the other woman” as she says, “I heard you’re back together and if that’s true / You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.” Her delivery throughout the song is very intentional, throwing in a couple of “La-la-la”s to play into a sense of innocence. She quickly moves into a harsher tone as she effectively expresses her exasperation, adding more dimension to her storytelling. The song sets a cheerful tone for the rest of the album, making it clear that the album offers the type of catchy, playful tunes listeners will be singing along to on the drive home. The music video for “Taste” was also released along with the album, featuring actress Jenna Ortega, as well as loads of gore and vicious imagery that also add to the high-energy spirit that carries through the album.
Contrasting the energetic vibe of “Taste,” track “Dumb & Poetic” is more vulnerable as she opens up about a relationship where she felt disillusioned by her partner’s curated and superficial personality. Through slow instrumentals and earnest lyrics, she pours out her emotions and delivers her message as she says, “Don’t think you understand / Just ’cause you talk like one doesn’t make you a man.” She powerfully ends the song with, “Don’t think you understand / Just ’cause you leave like one doesn’t make you a man,” showing her vulnerability and heartbreak.
Throughout the rest of the album, Carpenter playfully includes numerous sexual innuendos that often catch the listener off guard, adding flair and a new, raunchy element to her music that she utilizes a lot more in this album, playing into her distinct style. However, sometimes the puns become a bit awkward and out of place, distracting the listener from the rest of the song as they question what they just heard.
Carpenter blends a variety of sounds, ranging from R&B, 90’s indie-rock and modern studio production. The album conveys numerous moods, ranging from a solemn country theme embodying warmth through guitar strumming in “Slim Pickins” to fiery electric guitar chords portraying confidence in “Taste.” And yet, the theme remains consistent throughout the album. Through the “Taste” music video and the nature of the album itself through its erotic yet punch-packing lyrics and production, it is apparent that Carpenter’s album is meant to embody the idea of fury, and it does so blissfully.
Despite the consistency of elements throughout, the album’s structure creates challenges. The order of the tracklist throws off the listener, with the perky and vibrant song “Espresso” feeling jammed between relaxed tracks “Bed Chem” and “Dumb and Poetic.” However, this does not detract from the apt lyricism and catchy, energetic beats the album provides. While “Short n’ Sweet” occasionally suffers from over-the-top lyricism through forced puns, the album actively breaks new ground both in Carpenter’s discography but also in pop music as a whole, pushing the limit with its inherently sexual lyricism and exploration of new sounds. With its abundance of adult material and experimentation, “Short n’ Sweet” shows Carpenter’s incredible growth from her work as a Disney actor and her old youth pop albums, serving as the pop star’s transition to maturity.
4/5
