When Sabrina Carpenter released the undeniable song of the summer, “Espresso,” in April, I was immediately addicted. It was caffeine in music form, and I figured I’d have it on loop until I got tired of it — which never happened. And when she announced her sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” on my birthday, I obviously took it as a sign that it was made specifically for me. The months that passed between the album’s announcement and its release were excruciatingly slow, but I can safely say that all 36 minutes and 15 seconds were well worth the wait.
Released on Aug. 23, “Short n’ Sweet” is exactly what the name implies: a tightly-edited album covering multiple themes with Carpenter’s signature bubblegum pop. Carpenter builds on the best parts of her last album, “emails i can’t send,” but focuses more on showing off her vocal chops. The album explores all kinds of relationships — from embarrassing mistakes to infidelity and heart-wrenching romances. Drawing influences from country, ’80s pop and R&B, the album has a song for everyone, regardless of what their summer situationship looked like.
Carpenter’s album embraces her range while producing a cohesive record. In some songs, she channels Ariana Grande with her gorgeous vocal runs — “Bed Chem,” with its suggestive puns and airy chorus, sounds like a sister song to Grande’s “34+35.” In other tracks like “Slim Pickins” and even “Please Please Please,” there are hints of country twang similar to Dolly Parton. And, the ballads “Lie to Girls” and “Don’t Smile” sound like Carpenter took a page out of Taylor Swift’s book — unsurprising, as she opened for The Eras Tour earlier this year.
What makes “Short n’ Sweet” a complete record is Carpenter’s iconic lyricism. She’s established her ability to incorporate witty lyrics through her “Nonsense” outros she performed during her last tour, and Carpenter continues that trend here. There are lines like “What a surprise, your phone just died / Your car drove itself from L.A. to her thighs” in “Coincidence,” and “Come right on me, I mean camaraderie” from “Bed Chem” that are both clever and unserious, embodying her brand. She hasn’t set out to be Shakespeare — her lyrics have just the level of satisfying snark for anyone who has been permanently scarred by a mediocre fling. She’s also nerdy in some places, like when she chastises her boyfriend for missing the “difference between ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they are’” in “Slim Pickins.” That’s not to say that she can’t write some heart-wrenching lines — see “Well, you crashed the car and abandoned the wreckage / Fuck with my head like it’s some kind of fetish” from “Dumb & Poetic” — but the general tone of the album is bitter quips balanced out by her sugary, bright voice.
My only qualm with the album is that it was released too late. Carpenter put out “Espresso” all the way back in April and cemented the album as a summer staple in my mind. Having it come out at the tail end of August feels like a desperate attempt to stretch out the summer, and I would’ve loved to be able to dance to “Juno” in, well, June. There are also some songs that I wish were fleshed out more. “Slim Pickins” is one of my favorites, and it feels like the song ends right as it gets to the best part. Can we please bring back the three-minute standard for song runtimes?
“Short n’ Sweet” had no skips for me, and as a fellow short girl, I will forever thank Carpenter for the representation. Although I wish it had come out earlier and perhaps with some more substance — currently manifesting a deluxe version — it was ultimately pop perfection. I found myself listening to every song three times: once for the music, twice for the lyrics and once again to confirm that yes, she did just say what I thought she said.
Contact Naisha Roy at [email protected].
