Wake up and smell the coffee: The long-awaited Sabrina Carpenter album has arrived. With 12 tracks sitting at a running time of 36 minutes, it certainly lives up to the name Short n’ Sweet.Â
Carpenter, who skyrocketed in popularity as an opener for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, has gained appeal through her infectious stage presence and “short and sweet” tour outfits. This bled into a fascination from the online community, with Carpenter having her very own Coachella set and performing at the Gov Ball music festival. As if that wasn’t enough to charm the public, “Please Please Please” and summer sensation “Espresso” have been dominating the charts as the summer’s catchiest earworms.Â
One of the most notable aspects of this ascension to fame is how well Carpenter and her team have capitalized on the chance to promote her music and gain popularity. The music industry is a business, and they have been masterful in the navigation of it. Carpenter’s promotion of the album on her Instagram draws on vintage TV ads and babydoll nightgowns, appealing to the current nostalgia-heavy pop culture scene.Â
On Aug. 23, the day of the album’s release, Carpenter released the music video for “Taste,” the third single off of Short n’ Sweet. It stars well-regarded young actress Jenna Ortega, popular from the hit Netflix original show “Wednesday.” The video premiere has the internet buzzing, and it reached nearly 37 million views in less than a week. The track is also No. 1 on Spotify’s Top 50- USA and #2 on Top 50- Global.
Other tracks on Short n’ Sweet are pop standouts as well. After the infectious “Please Please Please”, the album continues with a personal favorite, “Good Graces”. This track reminded me of how pop industry giants such as Ariana Grande make lesser-known pop songs as appealing and well-constructed as radio hits. To be plain, it’s giving the Doja Cat collab “motive” from Grande’s 2020 album Positions.Â
“Bed Chem” joins “Taste” and “Good Graces” in Spotify’s Top 50 playlists. “Bed Chem” stands out due to the synth intro that gives the retro, 80s pop feel that made “Please Please Please” so successful. The track also makes for a great transition into the smash hit “Espresso.”
Espresso itself cannot be overstated. Achieving billions of Spotify streams in just months, the song is the strongest testament to Carpenter’s pop charts power. Achieving status as a TikTok audio, summer hit, and irresistible earworm is no easy feat, and it is only possible due to the construction of the track itself. The instrumental lead opens into the instantly memorable chorus and segways into an equally infectious pre-chorus. After this one-two, the clever second verse TikTok audio comes into play, finishing with an explosion of layered vocals. Throw in a retro, golden hour beach music video, and the song of the summer title is practically gift-wrapped.Â
Then there is the bafflingly original track “Juno.” This track is perhaps the most raunchy song Carpenter has ever released and is slightly hard to stomach, so, of course, it has people talking. If you can get past the lyrics, the background instrumentals complement her vocals well and make it one of the most ear-catching songs on Short n’ Sweet.
Overall, Carpenter’s craftsmanship and promotion of the album allow Short n’ Sweet to have a song for everyone, and she will continue to deliver in music, aesthetic, and playfully ironic lyrics. She has made it clear she’s not disappearing anytime soon, and her fans will continue to drink it in. As she says in the song, “That’s that me espresso.”Â