Sabrina Carpenter’s new album “Short n’ Sweet” perfectly encapsulates her vocal and artistic range and highlights all the drastic highs and lows of romance. The heavily-anticipated album was released on Aug. 23. It maintains Carpenter’s signature pop-princess style while unapologetically exploring new sounds like banjo and ‘80s synth.
Carpenter dropped two singles, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” leading up to the release of “Short n’ Sweet.” Both songs were massively successful. “Please Please Please” became the singer’s first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and its country-like structure and notes of synth-pop acted as a window into Carpenter’s upcoming album.
“Short n’ Sweet” plays into Carpenter’s signature glamourous and bouncy pop style while doubling as a reminder of the depth of her musicality. Songs like “Good Graces” and “Bed Chem” are examples of the feel-good traditional pop songs peppered throughout the album. Carpenter backs up their upbeat, electric rhythm with flirty, confident lyricism, like “When I love you, I’m sweet like an angel / Drawin’ hearts ‘round our names.”
“Slim Pickins,” on the other hand, brings in sounds more consistent with bluegrass and country music. The incorporation of a banjo and soft intonation of Carpenter’s voice gives the song a smooth feel and demonstrates her ability to expand her music past the pop genre.
Carpenter’s album also explores and builds upon the emotion felt in her 2022 album, “emails i can’t send.” Her previous album centered around the period of grief and anger felt after a breakup. Songs like “things i wish you said,” “Lonesome” and “emails i can’t send” feel very raw, both emotionally and musically. The songs often rely singularly on Carpenter’s voice to carry through the melody, with limited harmonies or background instrumentation. These choices place extra weight on the storytelling and lyricism. The album flows like a conversation about the various aspects of heartbreak and the fallout of a breakup.
“Short n’ Sweet” is a continuation of that storyline, this time focusing on a re-entrance into the dating scene with the confidence to set boundaries and know when to leave. There are a ton of stacked harmonies, including higher notes and more experimentation with various background vocals and instrumentation. This gives the album a stronger, more self-assured feeling.
There are a few mellow songs on the tracklist that reference heavier topics, like heartache, but the use of sarcasm and humor in the lyrics allows the overall air of self-worth and security to remain. For example, in “Dumb & Poetic” Carpenter sings “Every self-help book, you’ve already read it / Gold star for highbrow manipulation.” The song is inherently sad, as it references a broken, deceitful relationship. However, the cynicism with which she references the man in the song gives the impression that instead of looking back on the breakup with regret, she feels immense relief that she’s moved on.
Alongside emotional and musical range, Carpenter also demonstrates the depths of her creativity through the accompanying “Short n’ Sweet” music videos. Her most recent music video, “Taste,” was released on Aug. 23 alongside her album and has already amassed over 47 million views. Carpenter starred alongside actress Jenna Ortega, who is known for her appearances in horror films such as “X” and the “Scream” film franchise.
Ortega’s resume perfectly fit the role, as the music video included a multitude of references to classic horror films. The most pertinent reference was to the 1992 satirical macabre comedy film “Death Becomes Her” in which two women attempt to sabotage and one-up each other as they vie for the attention of the same man.
The “Taste” music video follows a very similar plotline. Ortega and Carpenter humorously, but gorily, attempt to get rid of each other while cycling through a series of iconic horror scenes, including references to “Psycho,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Ginger Snaps.”
Along with the iconic homage to classic horror, the music video is also a great representation of Carpenter’s dynamic artistry. There is an obvious contrast made between the gory plotline of the video and the use of bright, pastel set pieces and costumes. The video is set in a stunning, glamorously decorated mansion, and both Carpenter and Ortega are often in colorful, playful outfits. Even in a scene where she’s in surgery, Carpenter dons a bright pink, polka-dotted hospital gown.
Carpenter’s dynamic artistry encapsulates both sides of this video. She writes songs about topics with serious implications like heartbreak, manipulation and toxicity, while simultaneously making it digestible by adding humor, sarcasm or even just a catchy beat.
“Short n’ Sweet” was meticulously crafted to provide a perfect encapsulation of Carpenter’s versatility. It demonstrated every aspect of her range, musically, emotionally and artistically. Carpenter’s newest album once again proves she deserves her spot at the top of the charts.
