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Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” Will Hit You Like a Shot of Espresso: My Top Songs for “Short n’ Sweet”

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SJSU chapter.

Are you still holding on to summer? Well, you’re in luck! The pop princess is back with a brand new album! On August 23rd, Sabrina Carpenter released her latest album, “Short n’ Sweet,” with catchy lyrics and rhythms reminiscent of 90s and 2000s music.

Sabrina Carpenter is having her moment. Last year, she gained worldwide recognition and popularity with her tour for her album “Emails I Can’t Send” and opening for the Eras Tour with Taylor Swift. 

Her hit songs, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” topped the Billboard Global 200 Chart for more than three weeks and gave fans a taste of the album to come. Later, Carpenter continued to top the charts, with “Please Please Please” reaching the Billboard Top 100. 

With old Hollywood vibes and fun (and sometimes gory) storylines, “Short n’ Sweet” is the perfect album to listen to as I say goodbye to summer. Here are some of my top favorite songs from the album.

1. Taste

It’s no surprise that “Taste” has been a fan favorite of the album and has been in my song rotation ever since the release of “Short n’ Sweet.” Carpenter sings about her lasting impression lingering in the new relationship of her now ex, with lines like “If you want forever, and I bet you do / Just know you’ll taste me too.” 

Carpenter released a music video for her opening track, “Taste,” starring Jenna Ortega, and fans are raving about the rivalry between them in the video, as they try tirelessly to kill each other, only to become frenemies by the end of it. 

2. Dumb and poetic

Talking like a true poet, in “Dumb and Poetic,” Carpenter sings about a past lover who tried to act like he was deep and intelligent, with lines like “You’re so dumb and poetic / It’s just what I fall for / I like the aesthetic.” In reality, he didn’t know what he was talking about but tried to keep this image of an intellect. I loved how the lyrics perfectly rhymed in this song, and I enjoyed Sabrina’s more acoustic vocals with melancholic melodies. 

3. juno

Coined the “ovulation album” by Carpenter herself, “Juno” explores a more spicy and flirtatious vibe than her earlier songs, with the lines “I know you want my touch for life / If you love me right, then who knows / I might let you make me Juno,” referencing the 2007 romcom, Juno, where the main character, Juno (played by actress Elliot Page), becomes pregnant as a teen. 

Paired with a playful, upbeat vibe, the song captures the feelings of gossiping with your girlfriends about your new summer fling.

4. don’t smile

If you’ve got a case of summertime sadness, “Don’t Smile” is down in the dumps with you. Carpenter twists the saying “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” and laments one of her exes moving on with someone new, in the lines “Don’t smile because it happened baby / Cry because it’s over / Oh you’re supposed to think about me every time you hold her”. 

Carpenter writes sad songs so well, and her lower register voice fits with the melancholy vibes. The track sounds ethereal, with whimsical piano notes and hypnotic beats that would be perfect to pair with a late-night summer drive. 

If you’ve listened to “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter, what are your thoughts on it? Is it on your summer playlist? Let us know @HerCampusatSJSU!

Lillian is currently apart of the Writers team for Her Campus at SJSU. She is currently a third-year at SJSU, majoring in Advertising with a concentration in Marketing Communications. One area of marketing that she is really interested in is social media marketing, and she hopes to someday be able to work with brands and companies to curate their social media image and branding. Her hobbies include journaling, writing, baking, and reading. As an avid reader, she fell in love with storytelling and creative writing by reading stories from her favorite authors, and she hopes to be able to have the same lasting impact on those who read her stories.