On the first leg of her European tour, Berlin concert attendees heard the short and sweet singer Sabrina Carpenter loud and clear when she changed the first line of her “Mamma Mia” cover: “I’ve been cheated by you, and I think I know when,” instead of “I’ve been cheated by you since I don’t know when” from ABBA’s original 1975 track.
Carpenter’s artistry and wit is truly the gift that keeps on giving. As a Valentine’s Day gift to fans, Sabrina Carpenter released 5 new tracks on her deluxe album. This embellished release of “Short ‘n’ Sweet” is exactly what it sounds like: 17 tracks and almost an hour of pure, pop, princess perfection.
Though it’s her sixth album, Carpenter told Variety that “Short ‘n’ Sweet” and its predecessor, “emails i can’t send,” felt the most true to her.
“I personally feel a sense of separation from them, largely due to the shift in who I am as a person and as an artist, pre-pandemic and post-pandemic,” she said.
Carpenter started in the music industry at 12, but believes this release is her “second ‘big girl’ album.”
She starts off the album with a bang: “I leave quite an impression, five feet, to be exact,” and that she does, with “Taste” as the opening song.
The music video features Jenna Ortega in a “Jennifer’s Body” inspired visual: supporting women’s rights and women’s wrongs, á la “Death Becomes Her.”
The bouncy instrumental in “Please Please Please” allowed the smash hit to maintain its novelty amidst its success. The song’s success is tied to the idea of men being incapable of romance and not being an embarrassment to their partner, at least, according to Carpenter.
In the same interview with Variety, she reported that her boyfriend at the time, actor Barry Keoghan, who starred in the video, loved the song. Unfortunately for Keoghan, he meets his end in Carpenter’s deluxe version with Dolly Parton.
In the third track, “Good Graces,” Carpenter reminds her partner that if they crash and burn a la “Please Please Please,” she’ll have no problem moving on, notably with her ex’s favorite athlete. This earworm allows listeners to envision Carpenter wagging her finger and walking away. Maybe she’s learned from Taylor Swift that the best post-breakup revenge is never-ending global stardom and a handsome, chiseled boyfriend.
The lyrics in “Sharpest Tool,” are cynical, cutting and almost mocking. The instrumental diverts from the rest of the album, with its stripped-back guitar backing and mellow chorus production. Carpenter uses anadiplosis, a literary device that repeats the last word of a sentence to begin the next, in the pre-chorus, which is comparable to The Wanted’s “Glad You Came.”
“Coincidence” also takes a hearty guitar route, as Carpenter finds it amusing that her man repeatedly comes up with excuses that are painfully see-through whenever he acts out of line. He continuously loses common sense, but, with his track record, Carpenter knows it won’t be the last. The energy behind her vocals is palpable, and the whispered lines in the backing track add to the incriminating verses.
This album includes a lot of cheeky word-play, but “Bed Chem” takes the cake. This R-rated song has a shock value that is worth its weight in gold. It chronicles first connection with Keoghan,where Carpenter reportedly met him in a sheer dress, as she sings in the first line.
“Espresso,” the song of the summer, has been an earworm since its release. Reminiscent of Andrew Garfield’s description of Emma Stone, Carpenter states that she’s the reason her man stays up all night — because she’s working late as a singer, of course. The second verse boasts that “he looks so cute wrapped around my finger,” referring to how much power Carpenter yields over her man. If I were dating Sabrina Carpenter, I’d be at her beck and call 24/7.
“Dumb & Poetic” speaks to all the guys who flex about “reading feminist literature,” while Judith Butler collects dust on their nightstand. Carpenter says she’ll go for it… but only for about five minutes. Men putting on different acts will not make them more of a man, she sings.
It is, in fact, “Slim Pickins” out there for many people looking for a new companion before cuffing season. Even this pop princess recognizes how rough it is out there; many of these potential suitors are just–as one might guess–dumb and poetic. However, she can’t have an empty roster: she has to get her “fixings,” even if it’s just a “douchebag” in her phone that she plays “like a slot machine.”
Elliot Page got his box office recognition with this film premier, but Carpenter takes “Juno” a step further. Track ten is loud and clear: she knows what she wants from her man, and she knows how to get it. With an opposite sentiment of the previous song, she sings to her man, “You make me wanna make you fall in love.” This tour staple gained attention thanks to her novelty, nightly NSFW position in performances. Is she out of pocket? Probably, but that’s what makes this song so fun.
The second-to-last song of the standard edition, “Lie to Girls,” emphasizes the hopelessness in “hopeless romantic.” Carpenter essentially tells men they do not need to make themselves look better because women convince themselves their men are perfect regardless.
“Don’t Smile,” twists a common phrase into a sad, almost bitter version of itself: “Don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over.” Carpenter, after an album full of relentless self-confidence, wants her ex to miss her.
“Needless to Say” is not on streaming, released as a bonus track exclusively on a limited edition vinyl, calling out people who talk trash while looking at her, encouraging them to take a look in the mirror instead. The looping piano bolstering the song is delicate, and the staggered entries of the saxophone and flute make for a beautiful crescendo. Personally, this song is up there with “Don’t Smile” in my song ranking.
“Fifteen Minutes” is a critique of men who do not last long in the bedroom, with Carpenter claiming she could do much more with her time than they ever could. The guitar and synth on this track are addictive, drawing inspiration from a disco flourish to start the song.
Carpenter sings, “When you’re hot, they’re gonna eat you alive,” and this rings true for her. A viral tweet criticizing Carpenter’s dancing said, “You guys are disgusting and weird for defending a literal weirdo. Im 17 and AFRAID of Sabrina Carpenter when she’s performing. You guys need help.” Unfortunately, this critic kind of proves Carpenter’s point.
As a Parton purveyor, “Please Please Please” featuring Dolly Parton did not have as much Dolly as I had expected; my hope was at least one new verse of her own, but her pre-existing verse and backing vocals were still a country treat. The accompanying music video continues the theme of her other videos promoting the album, and it feels like Carpenter is looking into a mirror of continual stardom as she sits next to another infamous, unapologetic blonde star.
“Couldn’t Make It Any Harder” hearkens to the classics: the guitar introduction mirrors “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley (and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”), while the melody line of the chorus echoes “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John, a cover that Carpenter performed on tour.
She expresses feelings of vulnerability as she builds up walls in this self-reflective ballad. It serves as an antithesis to Newton-John’s classic song, which feels full circle for Carpenter as an artist.
“Busy Woman” is the perfect descriptor for Carpenter; after taking a break to reset for the New Year, she returned to her tour, starting in Dublin. The production of this song has Jack Antonoff all over it, but it is also reminiscent of Dan Nigro’s work as a mainstay producer for Chappell Roan.
Carpenter sings a controversial line in the song: “If you don’t want me, I’ll just deem you gay.” This phrasing is amusing, because of both the ridiculous reasoning and the word “deem.”
Though “Bad Reviews” does not have Parton’s voice, the instrumental backing certainly lends itself to the country style. She’s just like everyone else: Carpenter just wants someone to love her, and like she says, who doesn’t? This closer works particularly well because of its instrumentation, with ears reveling in the mix of violin, pedal steel guitar and double bass.
Upon first listen, her desire to haunt her exes was clear, but some of these songs felt less hard hitting than the wider, topical range of “emails i can’t send.” The overall confidence and high self-esteem is refreshing in a world saturated with sappy breakup ballads, but it is understandable why these albums are widely loved.
Though the album is cohesive, fun and authentic, there are occasional lyrics that don’t seem quite as strong as ones from her previous album. It largely focuses on men being below average and the consequences of this “epidemic.”
This is not to say that her voice is lost, though, because Carpenter’s trademark sardonic wit cuts through in these mature tracks. The simplicity of the diction paired with clever word-play, a catchy beat and digestible production make for a popular album.
However, the production is clearly influenced by country, R&B and disco. Her use of unique sounds from song to song beautifully accentuates the versatility of her style and creates vignettes of themes within the album, pockets of focus and moments of artful reflection.
Carpenter told Vogue that while writing her latest hits, she felt inspired by images of strong and hyper-feminine women and wondered what they were thinking.
The standard album won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2025 GRAMMYs and its beloved single, “Espresso,” won Best Pop Solo Performance. By the end of the night, Carpenter earned six total nominations, “including all four General Field Categories: Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist.”
The addition of the last few songs is a wonderful tribute to Carpenter’s fans, their dedication to her art and her true love of making music. The album has been successful commercially, remaining at the top of the charts both in Billboard sales and in streaming. “Taste,” “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” have occupied the top three spots of charts, respectively. “Short ‘n’ Sweet,” both standard and deluxe, is for sale on her website as a CD, vinyl or cassette. Carpenter’s tour kicked off in Columbus’s own Nationwide Arena, with state-side openers Amaarae, Griff and Declan McKenna. English singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri joined her internationally.
