The Amazon exclusive “Short n’ Sweet” vinyl, an insert photo from the “Short n’ Sweet” record jacket, and the “Espresso” 7” vinyl
The Xavierite
On Aug. 23, Sabrina Carpenter’s long-awaited sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” released to bring this summer of pop music to a close.
As two tracks, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” were released in months preceding the full “Short n’ Sweet” album, I’d already had a taste (no pun intended) of the album and its erotic, yet playful nature.
Of the singles, “Espresso” undoubtedly takes the cake as my favorite, with “Taste” as a close second.
The theme of the album is definitely on brand for Carpenter; a key feature of Carpenter’s past music that is present throughout ”Short n’ Sweet”, is her use of double entendres and sexual innuendos.
Many of the ideas surrounding the songs have to do with love, the loss of it, as well as triumphing over heartbreak, another characteristic of Carpenter’s songs.
Even as the tracks of “Short n’ Sweet” reflect Carpenter’s past music, she still manages to make it unique from her other records.
The first song to really stick out to me off the record was “Bed Chem,” a flirty, sensual, and upbeat track in which Carpenter shoots her shot with a new love interest.
This love interest in “Bed Chem” could presumably be Barry Keoghan. Though rumors of a breakup between Carpenter and Keoghan arose around the time “Short n’ Sweet” was released, these rumors were put to rest when Keoghan praised the track as his favorite song off the record via Instagram Stories.
“Slim Pickins” was also a track that quickly caught my attention. The country-esque tune about struggling to find love and settling for less than what one may want is different from anything I have ever heard of Carpenter’s discography.
Its twangy lyrics and stringy melody match that of an older country song, differing from Carpenter’s signature pop style.
Despite loving the album as a whole, there are a few songs I found to be particularly underwhelming sonically.
I found that “Sharpest Tool” and “Dumb & Poetic” didn’t do much for me in terms of the sound. I felt that these two tracks didn’t match the addicting lyricism and melodies of Carpenter’s other works.
I also found that the second single off the album, “Please Please Please,” fell somewhat short of my expectations. Though I would not say I strongly dislike the song, it isn’t as memorable to me in comparison to other tracks from “Short n’ Sweet.”
Despite my lack of excitement towards the song itself, I greatly enjoyed the message of the song, as well as the music video, which featured Saltburn star and boyfriend of Carpenter’s, Barry Keoghan.
As I continued listening to “Short n’ Sweet,” I realized that there were many tracks I initially had overlooked during my first run-through of the album.
“Juno” is an intoxicating tune that I found to be worthy of a single. Sonically, it reminds me somewhat of Carpenter’s hit single “Feather” from “Emails I Can’t Send Fwd:.”
Despite its single-worthy sound, I wonder if a few of the lyrics off “Juno” might be a bit too racy for radio, such as the suggestive lyric about trying “new positions” just before the second chorus.
However, I still love this track and think it definitely has potential to be one of the most successful non-singles off of “Short n’ Sweet.”
Another song I initially hadn’t given its flowers to is the final track off the record, “Don’t Smile.” The lyrics are overly pessimistic and almost tongue-in-cheek, making it somewhat comical despite its somber feel.
Despite a few less-than-interesting tracks, overall, the album is a hit in my book. The lyrics in each of the songs were powerfully written, and this record, despite sharing similarities with other works of Carpenter’s, undoubtedly holds a candle to the rest of her discography.