Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” on Aug. 23, 2024. Living up to its name, the album is 12 songs with a run time of 36 minutes. This is Carpenter’s second album with Universal’s record label, Island Records, who she signed with in 2021 after leaving Hollywood Records, Disney’s label. This switch was crucial in Carpenter’s music career, allowing her more freedom over her music. On this album especially, Carpenter pushes the boundaries of traditionally clean music, taking a more suggestive route.
After gaining recognition from winning Miley Cyrus’ “Be A Star” contest in 2009, Carpenter starred alongside Rowan Blanchard in Disney Channel’s Original TV series, “Girl Meets World,” from 2014 to 2017. She released four albums with Disney as well as going on three tours, but with marginal success. After switching labels, she had her first song, “Skin,” on the Billboard Top 100, which peaked at number 43 and spent three weeks on the chart. Carpenter’s fourth tour for her album “Emails I Can’t Send” brought her to larger venues. Right after her own tour concluded in 2023, Carpenter opened for Taylor Swift on the Latin American leg of the “Eras Tour.” This exposure ultimately allowed her to gain a larger fan base.
The two singles for “Short n’ Sweet,” “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” gave a preview of what to expect from Carpenter on this record. With its nonsensical lyrics and catchy beat, “Espresso” was sure to be stuck in your head all day long. In fact, it was named one of Spotify’s top five songs of the summer 2024. After being released on Apr. 27, 2024, it spent 37 weeks on the chart, ultimately peaking at number three. In her other single,“Please Please Please,” released on June 22, 2024, Carpenter pokes fun at having a partner who she’s afraid could hurt her reputation. She sings, “Heartbreak is one thing/My ego’s another/I beg you don’t embarrass me.” The song also features a key change, which is largely unheard of in popular music today- especially for a song that hits number one.
Carpenter takes the traditional struggles of relationship issues and turns them into lighthearted jokes. This is especially refreshing compared to the dramatic way relationships are normally depicted in pop music. In the song “Slim Pickins,” Carpenter jokes about her ideal partner being nowhere to be found, and her standards lowering by the minute. She sings, “Jesus, what’s a girl to do?/This boy doesn’t even know/The difference between ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they are.'” As an editor, I can strongly relate to these lyrics. But in all seriousness, Carpenter’s unique ability to step back and take the comedic approach, rather than complaining, is a breath of fresh air in pop music today.
Going along with her casual jokes, Carpenter toes the line of what’s traditionally appropriate in pop music, especially from a large artist. Tracks like “Juno,” “Taste” and “Dumb and Poetic” are lyrically explicit, greatly contradicting her usually sweet wordplay. The suggestive lyrics mark an image rebrand in Carpenter’s career, an incredibly common shift for ex-Disney Channel stars. This change wouldn’t be possible without streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc. While these songs would likely never be able to be played on the radio, Carpenter can rely on her large fan base to stream these songs no matter their level of explicitness.
The album concludes with the song “Don’t Smile,” which twists the common phrase “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” and instead makes it “Don’t smile because it happened, baby/Cry because it’s over.” This small change brings a whole new level of meaning to the song, reassuring the audience that it’s okay to stay upset about the past. This almost brings a level of spitefulness to the song, which can be seen throughout the whole album.
While this album lives up to its expectations of being short, I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s sweet. However, it is the perfect transitional piece for Carpenter as she grows and creates her brand as an artist. Each song is incredibly catchy and danceable; whether you want to laugh to this album or cry to it, it’s perfect for every moment. Carpenter’s musical versatility is always incredible, from her acoustic twang, to bright and poppy tone, she hits every note with style and musicality, making each track enjoyable to listen to.
