“Oh I leave quite an impression”
These are the first lines of Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album, Short N’ Sweet. It is a charismatic and vibrant album with hints of feminine Americana. Carpenter takes inspiration from different genres. She starts with upbeat melodies that coincide with catchy lyrics, whilst simultaneously including songs with a southern flair. The Polly-Pocket pop star also includes pop-culture references to appeal to her younger Gen-Z audience. Juno, for example, alludes to the 2007 movie Juno where a teenage girl becomes pregnant.
“Where art thou? Why not uponeth me? See it in my mind, let’s fulfill the prophecy”
Using witty lyrics like these makes Sabrina Carpenter stand out from her fellow rising pop stars. She also knows this as she claims in her song “Espresso” that her “twisted humor makes him laugh so often.” Her play on words is constantly going viral on social media as they also play into her personal life. “Bed Chem”, for example, talks about her relationship with actor Barry Keoghan and the day they met. Starting the song with what she and her love interest were wearing; fans flocked to social media to look for fashion looks, and the identity of Carpenter’s love interest came into full view. Carpenter’s line in “Bed Chem” also provokes the fact that Keoghan is British, using Shakespearean wordplay to emphasize the character in her song.
Carpenter has no problem with ‘indirecting’ certain individuals in her life. Especially those who have broken her heart. The heartbroken theme in the album takes on a different concept as the artist plays a more vengeful role. From claiming that the men in her life are not the ‘sharpest tool’ in the shed or calling them less than for manipulating her, she does not hold back from ridiculing the men in her life. Additionally, when it comes to infidelity, Carpenter makes sure to blame the man for his mistakes rather than bringing in the woman. Though her song “Taste” seems otherwise, the upbeat rock instrumentals show how the song is out of rebellion rather than hate towards the women. She is upset that a man left her, and she is insecure. Furthermore, the song is followed by “Please, Please, Please” where the artist begs her love interest to not embarrass her and break her heart. This theme of embarrassment and insecurity is prominent throughout the album. In “Good Graces”, she hopes for the same thing and threatens her love interest by advising him not to mess up their relationship.
“This boy doesn't even know the difference between there, their, and they are”
This young adult vengefulness is scattered throughout pop music this year, and Carpenter takes advantage of the theme by making it her own. The southern flair in her song, “Slim Pickins” is a great example of this. As more women in society are becoming more frustrated with the men in their lives, Sabrina Carpenter expresses her frustration and does it with an Americana vibe. Bringing in the southern flair adds a touch to the album as a whole. Though the lyrics are mature by tying in sexual innuendos, Carpenter and her producers keep a retro vibe that balances out the album.
“Don’t cry because it happened, baby, because it's over”
The album ends with the song “Don’t Smile” which holds heavy roots in the RnB genre. This song is Carpenter’s way of admitting the insecurity she’s been hinting at the whole album. Though, it’s easy to try and be a confident woman who hates men (trust me I’ve been there), at the end of the day, when you’re deep into the night, it’s even easier to reminisce. This admittance is dear to, not only myself, but to all the women listening to the album. It is sort of like her telling us that it is okay to want someone who has moved on. No matter how angry we are, and how much we seem like we can do without them. Overall, Carpenter’s album is an ode to youthful love and the emotional rollercoaster of feeling heartbroken and the five stages of grief it comes with.
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