Image: “Short n’ Sweet” (2024) by Sabrina Carpenter Album Cover
As Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth studio album title suggests, her expertly written songs are kept short and sweet this time around. “Short n’ Sweet” (2024) consists of 12 tracks and runs for 36 minutes, being released on Aug. 23, 2024. Although the album’s duration is short as is Carpenter herself at only five feet tall, the title “Short n’ Sweet” also applies to some of Carpenter’s past relationships. The album is primarily about the impact these relationships had on her. Additionally, Carpenter’s lyricism in this album is crafted to the utmost pop perfection. She keeps her songs short, but they are precise and catchy.
I, like many others, first discovered Carpenter by watching the hit Disney Channel TV series “Girl Meets World,” which is a spinoff of the 90s sitcom “Boy Meets World.” She played Maya Hart, the troublemaking and loyal best friend of the main character, Riley Matthews. Carpenter’s witty personality shined in this role. I then rediscovered her when she began to open for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last year. She sang some of her most popular songs at the time such as “Feather” and “Nonsense.” Finally, I witnessed as she truly rose to fame by releasing “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” two of the four singles from her new album. The addicting lyrics of “Espresso” caused the song to go viral on TikTok; influencers began to call it the song of the summer, and it rose to number three in the United States. “Espresso” proceeded to win Song of the Year at the 2024 VMAs.
Now, Carpenter has broken several records with “Short n’ Sweet,” including Number One Debut and Hot 100. She debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and kept this position for three weeks. In addition, all 12 tracks from the album appeared on the Billboard Hot 100. She joined Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande’s legacy as women with three songs charting in the top five simultaneously. This is no simple feat; it shows that she is up there with the big leagues.
All of Carpenter’s new songs are spectacular, but my personal favorites are “Taste” — one of her number ones — “Bed Chem,” which many people thought was called “Bad Chem” until TikTok corrected us, “Espresso,” “Sharpest Tool,” “Coincidence” and “Juno.” On the other hand, there were a few songs I did not connect with, such as “Don’t Smile” and “Lie to Girls.” These songs are simply not my cup of espresso, although they may end up growing on me as I continue listening to the album. “Short n’ Sweet” is definitely my favorite Carpenter album so far, and she’s only just getting started.
Madie Truglio is a first-year Music Elective Studies major. MT1036594@wcupa.edu