Sabrina Carpenter released her most recent album “Short n’ Sweet” on Aug. 23, a highly anticipated release by both new and old fans.
Previously, she had released two singles from the album including “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Both have a pop-like sound and an upbeat energy, leaving fans to wonder if the rest of the album would be the same.
The first song on the album titled “Taste,” is just as upbeat as the the singles. This track is rumored to be about Camila Cabello and ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes.
Carpenter briefly dated Mendes in February of 2023 and the song seems to tell listeners that Mendes is still not over his ex-girlfriend from 2019, Cabello. This love triangle is something fans have been speculating about and with lyrics like, “heard you’re back together and if that’s true you’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you,” it feels confirmed.
Sophomore Kezia Weaver shared how she felt about the track.
“My favorite song on the album is probably ‘Taste’ and I like it because I’ve heard it a bunch on TikTok and it’s good,” Weaver said.
Carpenter continues this upbeat energy in other tracks on the album, such as “Good Graces” and “Bed Chem.” These songs have a tone of confidence that many listeners are into, and embrace feminism.
Before the album slows down, Carpenter continues this theme of a love triangle in her song called “Coincidence.”
Junior Jackie Eveleth shared how she felt about the song.
“Coincidence is my favorite song on the album, I just think it’s such a cute song and it gets stuck in my head all the time,” Eveleth said.
Although Carpenter has a big fan base for these upbeat pop songs, it’s not everyone’s taste. As the album progresses, she moves into a more mellow yet sad tone, so fans with different preferences have something to enjoy.
Starting with “Dumb & Poetic” Carpenter’s confidence remains, although she starts to reflect on how this person she’s singing about has hurt her, and the resentment she holds because of that. In this track, she is acknowledging that she’s attracted to a certain type of man (dumb and poetic) and that maybe she needs to start exploring other types of people.
“You’re so dumb and poetic it’s just what I fall for. I like the aesthetic,” Carpenter sings. Carpenter is very vulnerable with this lyric, telling listeners that yes, she does like a certain aesthetic of person, maybe rather than the person themself. This is a lyric many people can relate to, falling for the idea of someone instead of falling for them.
She gives listeners more detail when she sings, “And I promise the mushrooms aren’t changing your life.” She’s humorously downplaying any profound or mind-altering effect of psychedelic mushrooms, emphasizing that experiences/substances that some people think “change their life” really don’t. This plays into the “dumb and poetic” aesthetic she describes, leaving listeners to think about how sometimes we place too much importance on things that don’t matter.
The next track on the album is titled “Slim Pickins.” This song is more upbeat but embedded with sad lyrics, creating a different tone. Similar to the fourth track, “Sharpest Tool,” from earlier in the album, the lyrics in this song suggest that when looking for love it can feel like there aren’t many options left out there.
The last track on the album titled “Don’t Smile” is somewhere in between upbeat and calm, and uses repetitive but memorable lyrics. “Don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over,” Carpenter repeats throughout the song. This is another interesting take on a quote people often say, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” By singing the exact opposite, Carpenter keeps the tone very authentic. She’s admitting that sometimes it feels pointless and impossible to try to only see the good in situations.
Weaver and Eveleth shared their final thoughts about “Short n’ Sweet’ after listening to the album completely.
“I think the album is okay but I don’t really like it that much and the theme is definitely very pop,” Weaver said.
Eveleth shared a different opinion.
“I absolutely adore the whole album because I just think the songs themselves are so relatable and also quite catchy,” Eveleth said.
After digesting Carpenter’s new album, fans were left with a mix of catchy, upbeat songs and sad, emotional songs. Creating both of these styles in the same album shows Carpenter’s ability to adapt to different kinds of music, leaving fans to wonder about what she will do in the future.
