Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

Despite releasing music since she was 14, Sabrina Carpenter had never quite exploded onto the scene as she has in 2024. With the TikTok virality of her single Espresso, accompanying Taylor Swift as a support act on her Eras Tour and music videos featuring actors like Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega, Carpenter’s quick rise to the top has ramped up anticipation for Short n’ Sweet. Now that it’s finally here, fans can experience her exploration of a wide range of genres – from pop, acoustic ballads and R’n’B, to 70s disco and country – while she tackles complex themes of toxic romance, denial and infidelity. She balances these sombre topics by exhibiting how she finds strength in her femininity and musical artistry.

Opening with Taste and Please Please Please, the singer immediately sets the tone with a contrast of soft dance melody with vindictive and aggressive lyricism, a prominent fixture within the record. Her delivery is laced with condescension, specifically in the latter song wherein she begs her boyfriend not to embarrass her. There are references to her vanity, projecting a sense of insecurity within the relationship. Bed Chem on the other hand demonstrates Carpenter’s storytelling prowess at its finest, recounting how she first met her lover and the early days of exploring their sexual chemistry; it’s full of mischievous innuendos underpinned by early 2000s R’n’B production. Carpenter marvels at the intimacy of shared breaths and longing glances, while highlighting the challenges of navigating communication and connection for people from different countries and cultures.

Following the playful energy of Bed Chem and lead single Espresso is a collection of slower and more vulnerable tracks. From this point onwards, Carpenter delves into bitterness towards men who treated her unfairly, examining how these experiences led her to settle in undeserving relationships. Dumb and Poetic targets pretentious men with attractive aesthetics and seemingly deep thoughts that disguise their hypocrisy and lack of understanding. She starts the verses slow and low. As the guitar builds and becomes more erratic, her voice gets higher before it gently drops into the chorus. This crescendo reflects the toxic and irresistible traits of these men – their affinity for poetry, cleverly spoken pick-up lines and indie music taste – all the things that won her over, before Carpenter shuts down the masquerade with the lyric: “Just ‘cause you leave like one, doesn’t make you a man.”

As the only upbeat song from this intropsective section, Juno stands out with its disco-pop vibe. Referencing Elliot Page’s 2007 film of the same name about teen pregnancy, the song touches on the idea of settling down with someone who truly cares about her. Unlike Bed Chem, which focuses mainly on the physical aspect of sex and attraction, Juno is a celebration of being so in love that sex not only leads to sensual pleasure but also a more fulfilling and permanent connection with her lover. Carpenter lets her hopeless romantic side loose in this song, still believing that despite all of her previous relationship hiccups, there’s a happy ending somewhere for her.

As the perfect closer for this album, Don’t Smile mirrors the lyricism and themes of Taste – reminding her ex-lovers of her presence in all future relationships they might have. The chorus, with the lyrics, “Don’t smile because it happened, baby / Cry because it’s over,” is a scathing encouragement for her exes to look back at their break-ups with bitterness rather than providing closure. It’s also indicative of how listeners might feel as they come to the end of the record: true to its name, Short n’ Sweet is abrupt enough to leave people wanting more of Carpenter. Whether it’s her exes or strangers, the artist ends this record by insisting that she linger in the minds of whoever is listening to her.

Mae Trumata
Photo: Supplied by label

Short n’ Sweet is released on 23^rd August 2024. For further information or to order the album visit Sabrina Carpenter’s website here.

Watch the video for the single here: