Riding the high of her hit singles ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please Please Please’, Sabrina Carpenter is back with her brand new album Short ‘n Sweet. The project finds its title not only in its bite-sized length or from Sabrina’s height, but in its cohesive story of how the briefest relationships can change us the most profoundly. Underneath its upbeat sound and soft retro approach, it’s a record about gender roles, relationship dynamics, and how social expectations impact how we see others and ourselves.
On first listen, the fast-paced bops are where Sabrina’s over-the-top silliness gets a chance to shine. The sassy opener ‘Taste’ is a disco-infused track playing into the perspective of the other woman. With its whip smart lyricism and attitude, it’s guaranteed to generate discussion about its subject, introducing a love triangle narrative that’s core to most of the album’s tracks. The story gets even juicier played out in the new music video, starring Jenna Ortega in a gory tribute to films like Death Becomes Her and Scream.
Naturally, ‘Espresso’ still sounds like the song of the summer even surrounded by plenty other options. Clever phonetic elements and Sabrina’s breezy sense of confidence make it truly unforgettable, equal parts commanding as it is comical. And the bright pop number ‘Good Graces’ feels destined to be a future single. Its big, bold production scratches the itch of the early Ariana Grande-esque sound, as Sabrina asserts her boundaries and reminds her lover she won’t allow him to cross her. The post-chorus hook is one for the ages, carefree and catchy enough to stick in your head for hours.
Short ‘N Sweet offers up plenty of stripped-back moments too, courtesy of some country flourish from producers Jack Antonoff and John Ryan. Full of complex rhythms and twang, ‘Sharpest Tool’ is an earnest moment addressing how a lack of communication can cause a breakdown between two people. The Kacey Musgraves crossover sound of ‘Please Please Please’ still shimmers and sparkles as it did when first released in June. Its mix of affection and embarrassment is both attacking and self-deprecating, tackling a strange emotional topic few songwriters could cover so effectively.
‘Slim Pickins’ positions Sabrina as a casual singer at your local pub, charming yet down to earth and approachable, her beautiful tone briefly disguising the bitterness in her lyrics. With such attitude and sarcastic yet sincere delivery, it feels like an early Dolly Parton cut, thanks to its southern flair and deceptively sweet mix. There’s clear inspiration from Joni Mitchell too on ‘Coincidence’, a standout stomp-and-holler tune that works perfectly for Sabrina thanks to its flowing folk melodies and rich acoustic guitar.
The throwback R&B style of ‘Bed Chem’ throws another genre into the mix. It’s a smooth bedroom jam shimmering with Christina Aguilera-inspired 90s synths. Sultry and dreamy, yet full of hilarious wordplay and spoken-word comedy, there’s time even amongst the seduction to shout out her current beau Barry Keoghan with a Saltburn film reference. But this song is most memorable for its wild post chorus, all about the shock value of its hypersexual lyrics.
Whilst it’d be easy to see Short ‘N Sweet as primarily an album about lover’s quarrels, beneath the surface there is a truly enticing and intelligent narrative of a woman seeking domesticity beyond her short-term romantic and sexual desires. Although at first ‘Dumb & Poetic’ seems like a simple acoustic ballad about loving a man who’s arrogant in his empathy, underneath there is a heartbreakingly real desperation for lifelong connection that the song’s subject cannot deliver. The lyrics are snarky, but Sabrina’s performance is fragile. She lashes out at a singular person to avoid facing the core problem of needing someone to create domestic life with.
This concept expands on ‘Lie to Girls’, another delicate number drawing connections between how women throughout history are trained to accept male mistreatment. “It’s lucky for you I’m just like my mother and my sisters / All my friends… We love to read the cold, hard facts and swear they’re incorrect”, Sabrina sighs, an acknowledgement of the trauma women face from living centuries beneath the patriarchy. It’s a love letter to feminine dreams and desires, but also a funeral poem mourning them as nearly impossible to accomplish.
Such pain simmers beneath many of the tracks. Sabrina pokes fun at gender roles, claiming an empathetic man could “Make a great wife” on one song, then sarcastically apologising for objectifying him to her friends on the next. But the mockery hides a woman’s true burden as she simultaneously feels compelled to beg forgiveness for her feelings, shrugging it all off on ‘Slim Pickins’ as the usual routine of waiting “Here in the kitchen serving up some moaning and bitching”.
Even in this harsh misogynistic reality, Sabrina craves a future of “Writing vows (and) rocking cradles”, most obviously on the hilarious ‘Juno’. In an extended satirical reference to the classic film of the same name, Sabrina seeks to be “Locked down” and knocked up, performing in a flippant, excessive manner to disguise the real longing underneath. This fun bop toys with squeaks and squeals that explore more of her increasingly impressive vocal range. If the amazing guitar solo wasn’t enough, the unbelievably blunt, brash lyrics in the bridge will stick with you long after the record is through.
Short n’ Sweet is a landmark moment in Sabrina Carpenter’s career. By the time the subversive finale ‘Don’t Smile’ comes around, Sabrina has made a defining mark not only as pop’s sexy, silly new star, but as a songwriter with far more depth to her messages than meets the eye. Like its title suggests, it’s a quick foray into this artist’s sonic world, but one with a surprising amount of thematic complexity and sonic variation. Indeed, Sabrina Carpenter’s latest is so short and sweet, you have nothing to lose by listening, and everything to gain.
