After her hit singles “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” charted on Billboard’s Top 100 for 19 and 23 consecutive weeks respectively, Sabrina Carpenter rode the wave of success with the release of her sixth studio album “Short n’ Sweet.” The album dives into genres of pop, country, and even takes references from 70s disco and R&B. The cheeky title is in reference to not only Carpenter’s height, but the short run time of 36 minutes and 15 seconds.

The album opens with “Taste,” an upbeat and sarcastic song that has been speculated to be about Carpenter’s relationship with Shawn Mendes and his on-and-off relationship with fellow pop artist Camila Cabello. The song is featured in a music video starring Carpenter herself and next-generation Hollywood actress Jenna Ortega. The music video garnered huge amounts of praise as it was inspired by the 1992 horror cult classic Death Becomes Her, with Carpenter and Ortega playing dueling ex-girlfriend and girlfriend respectively.

“Please Please Please” is the next song on the track list, and its disco influences are clearly heard in the bubbly backtrack. It is one of the four songs on the record produced by Jack Antonoff, who has worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, The 1975, and Lana Del Rey. The track also has a corresponding music video, starring Carpenter’s current boyfriend Barry Keoghan, who garnered success after starring in the films Saltburn (2023) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022).

The third track, “Good Graces,” is an anthem of self-respect and setting boundaries as Carpenter warns her love interests to stay on her good side or she will move on. The track is followed by “Sharpest Tool,” a soft ballad in which Carpenter reflects on a relationship that didn’t work out. The lyricism on this track is beautiful as it retrospectively looks back on the miscommunication that occurred between her and her supposed ex.
The album suddenly takes a country turn as she opens the almost bluegrass-feeling track five, “Coincidence.” It’s ironic lyricism mocks her ex- and this track has also been speculated by fans to be about her relationship with Shawn Mendes.

The album takes a raunchy turn with the R&B influenced hit “Bed Chem,” decorated with synth tracks and breathy vocals. The lyrics surround Carpenter’s relationship with Keoghan, as she uses her signature style of suggestive lyrics to create the provocative track.
The track is followed by the hit song “Espresso,” which has been called the “song of the summer” by listeners worldwide. According to Billboard, the song charted at number one for eight consecutive weeks and was Carpenter’s first top ten single. The song follows a basic pop structure but is catchy and has an affinity to be stuck in your head for days.

Track eight is the heart-wrenching and vulnerable “Dumb and Poetic,” which reminisces on a past relationship that was a negative experience for her due to the lack of communication. Although it is one of the shortest songs on the album, “Dumb and Poetic” is a heartbreaking song about abandonment that was well-received by fans of her more emotional music.

“Slim Pickins,’” many people’s personal favorite, was teased before the release of the album with a performance at the Grammy Museum. The song is peppered with sarcastic lyrics like “this boy doesn’t even know the difference between there, their, and they are,” which contributed to the rise of its popularity on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Track ten is aptly named after the 2007 film Juno starring Michael Cera and Elliot Page, as Sabrina tackles themes of settling down with her future partner. The song’s bubblegum pop beat is woven in with witty lyrics, and the live performance on Carpenter’s ongoing world tour is a fan favorite.

The album is closed out with two of the more vulnerable tracks on the record, “Don’t Smile” and “Lie to Girls.” “Lie to Girls” showcases Carpenter’s duality as an artist as it is one of, if not the most heartbreaking track on the album. “Don’t Smile” closes out the narrative as she reflects bittersweetly on the time in her life that inspired all of the songs on the record.

In short (no pun intended), Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” is a hybrid of old and new genres that not only has radio-ready hits but also showcases her duality as a singer-songwriter, cementing Carpenter’s place as one of the most influential songwriters of the new generation.