FINALLY!
Sabrina Carpenter is an artist I’ve been following for a while now — at least a good 6-7 years — just waiting on everything to finally, fully click for her.
And it finally has.
Let’s start at the beginning, because while she wasn’t a complete unknown, 2024 has been a major breakthrough year for her.
Carpenter got her start as a young actress with small roles in the early 2010s. But this comes after she gained a little fame for posting videos of herself singing on YouTube as a 10-year-old, and then placed third in a singing competition called The Next Miley Cyrus Project, hosted by Miley Cyrus, herself. She didn’t truly find a breakout role, though, until Disney picked her for the role of Maya on Girl Meets World, the sequel series to the hit 90s sitcom Boy Meets World. Given her already-notable background as a burgeoning vocalist, Carpenter was asked to record the show’s theme song, with co-star Rowan Blanchard on backing vox.
But Carpenter’s music career didn’t really begin until after Girl Meets World started airing. Her debut album, Eyes Wide Open, released in 2015. It was good, but it was also mostly third-party songs (though two of those were written by Meghan Trainor). For her sophomore effort in 2016, Carpenter was the lead writer on nine out of ten songs; of course, the album’s best track is arguably “Thumbs”, which was not her creation.
The Singular albums in 2018 and 2019 saw Carpenter begin to experiment with using elements of different styles, such as R&B and hip-hop. These were clearly very experimental albums and, frankly, I didn’t enjoy them much. On her most recent LP, though, 2022’s Emails I Can’t Send, Carpenter started to find her voice. It still wasn’t a full package, and I said in that review that there were clearly still some growing pains, but it felt like she was figuring out her identity as a songwriter.
Two years later, I believe we have finally arrived.
Now, I have to underscore that part of this sudden improvement is likely due to a much-needed change of environment. Carpenter’s first four records were produced by Hollywood Records; Emails I Can’t Send was her first full-length effort with her new publisher, Island Records. Now, on Short n’ Sweet, she’s fully at home with the folks at Island. And, more importantly, she has found a partner in songwriting crime with Amy Allen.1
Allen has previously written with Halsey, Fletcher, Harry Styles, Selena Gomez, and Olivia Rodrigo, among others, and she worked with Carpenter on “Vicious”, which became the second track on Emails I Can’t Send.
Allen is listed as the second writing credit on every track on Short n’ Sweet. All twelve from the base album, plus the two limited/bonus edition songs.
And, clearly, these two have serious chemistry. If you haven’t heard “Espresso” or “Taste” or “Please Please Please” somewhere, somewhen this summer, then you have to have been at Everest Base Camp or something.2
And this album has the audacity to start off with two of these three as tracks 1 & 2.
For those unfamiliar, the raw heart of these songs is absolute self-confidence — none of the songs on Short n’ Sweet ever really verge on egotistical, but many of them are filled to bursting with an overabundance of self-worth.
“Taste”, for example, features Carpenter reflecting on how her ex’s new girlfriend has to live with knowing he was previously with Carpenter, and plays out the idea that this might weigh upon the new girlfriend’s perception of the relationship.
I heard you're back together and if that's true
You'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you
“Please Please Please”, on the other hand, initially seems to be Carpenter begging to save a relationship — a pretty standard sort of song. But she flips the trope on its head:
Please, please, please
Don't prove I'm right
And please, pleasе, please
Don't bring me to tеars when I just did my makeup so nice
Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another
I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherfucker, oh
And many of the songs here follow along with this approach — all of them deal with romance, relationships, and sex, and most approach the conversation with, as previously mentioned, oodles of self-worth and -assurance.3
But not all. “Sharpest Tool” sees those elements waver as Carpenter explores the uncertainty surrounding the sudden end of a relationship. Later in the album, “Lie to Girls” expresses willful vulnerability, stating “You don't have to lie to girls/If they like you, they'll just lie to themselves”.
The songs also feature an incredible array of wordplay. While the heard of Short n’ Sweet is confidence and self-worth, the soul is a Parental Advisory label citing an absurd number of double entendres; “Bed Chem”, alone could make heads literally explode in certain ultra-conservative circles. While I haven’t vetted every line of every song, I suspect that “Lie to Girls” might be the only song without explicitly risque wordplay.
And there’s still a ton of puns beyond the really dirty ones. In the case of “Slim Pickins”, the stylistic composition, itself, is a pun, as it leans heavily into Bluegrass with a lot of banjo.
Talk about dedication to the bit.
The album, at large, is clearly Pop. But Carpenter and Allen have pulled in a wide range of sounds and styles to augment various songs. Some are purely acoustic, some use heavy electronic elements — “Lie to Girls” is a mix of both extremes, though, and it’s so well done. “Please Please Please” and “Don’t Smile” have Disco elements. There are traces of Country and Rock and R&B and probably a handful of others that I didn’t notice or note down.
Most importantly, they’re all fun, gorgeous songs. I mean, I’ve stayed the course despite lackluster albums because Carpenter is an incredibly talented vocalist with a beautiful voice. But this is, hands down, her best performance yet.
I really like to try and reserve my top tier ratings for albums that really connect all of the dots, and Short n’ Sweet doesn’t have any real throughline beyond the theme of enjoying a relationship while it lasts. But every now and then, I have to just step aside and let one through because the collection of songs is just spotless.
This is one of those times.
Rating: Purple
As I’m researching and writing this, I’ve found Amy Allen’s Spotify profile. She released her own album on September 6th. The first track, “Darkside”, is really good.
Fuck. I’m adding this to my list, aren’t I?
I have a problem. Send help.
Also, expect that review in a few weeks.
I make every effort to avoid singles from albums that I know I’m going to review. I sometimes forego listening to new music from my favorite artists for six or seven months ahead of the album because I want to go into it with minimal bias.
It was not remotely possible to avoid these singles. They are everywhere.
I recently heard Carpenter’s energy likened to “a Mean Girl who’s on your side”, and it’s so accurate.