Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet rides the resurgent wave of fun pop with an album full of upbeat, addicting tracks that cement Carpenter as a main Gen-Z pop girl. While the album is quite literally short and sweet, lasting only 36 minutes, the huge personality of the 5-foot star makes this album feel larger than life. The album rollout started on a high note with “Espresso,” which Billboard declared the song of the summer. The virality of lyrics like “That’s that me / Espresso” made it undeniable that this album would push Carpenter to new heights not yet seen in her 10-year career. Carpenter’s following single, “Please Please Please”—a moodier ballad warning her boyfriend to behave himself—became her first number one Billboard hit.
With the release of Short n’ Sweet on August 23, Carpenter proved she could deliver an entire album of personal and catchy hits. Some highlights include “Taste,” a tongue-in-cheek song about haunting her ex’s current girlfriend, and “Juno,” a baby-fever anthem with incredibly direct sexual references, with lyrics like “I’m so fucking horny.” Carpenter shows she can be shameless about her sex life and the trials and tribulations of dating in her 20s while producing quality tracks that maintain vocal and compositional merit. In addition, Carpenter gives listeners a glimpse at her more vulnerable side with deep cuts like “Lie To Girls,” where she illustrates how girls sometimes convince themselves into believing toxic relationships are love: “Yeah I can make a shit show / Look a whole lot like forever.” While she still has the potential to grow into an even more solidified pop icon if she continues to build her persona and sound, Short n’ Sweet will surely remain the moment the world truly got to know and love Sabrina Carpenter.
Kelsey Perriello, CAS’27, Undecided, Co-Spotlight Editor