Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet”, is just as its title claims to be: short but sweet. Though it only has 12 tracks totaling to about 36 minutes, each track has its own charm as the album explores different aspects of Carpenter’s love life.

Carpenter released two singles prior to the album: “Espresso” and “Please Please Please”. They were catchy and set a summery and retro mood to the album; “Espresso”, in which Carpenter compares herself to coffee as she keeps her partner up all night, was even deemed by many as the “song of the summer”. 

The opening lines of the album’s first track, “Taste”, set the tone for the album lyrically as Carpenter uses a double entendre, making a clever reference to her height of five feet. She continues to deliver playful lyrics with exceptional punch lines, as well as plenty more double entendres, through the song and the entire album. 

“Based on the introduction of Espresso and Please Please Please, I was expecting a lot of witty lyrics to really be put into the songs and I think she continued that,” chorus teacher Sydney Clarke said.

Carpenter also shows off her vocal versatility in the album, as she uses her voice to represent the different emotions in each track. In “Slim Pickins”, the subtle instrumentals allow her voice to shine through in her effortless delivery of each lyric. In contrast, the use of synths in “Bed Chem” complements her smooth and captivating vocals. 

The album also contains more vulnerable songs such as “Lie to Girls”, where Carpenter explores themes of dishonesty and self-deception in relationships. The song’s outro is especially heartbreaking as it crescendos before it suddenly falls back into a quiet instrumental which feels like a final resignation to her struggle.

The last track of the album, “Don’t Smile”, closes things off with a melancholic tone. Its chorus centers around a twist of the adage, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”. It brings listeners back to the first track of the album as Carpenter experiences the same difficulty moving on from her ex that she hopes he does. The song is a fitting end to the album, as its rawness encapsulates her growth through the course of the album.

While “Short n’ Sweet” immediately topped charts around the world, some prefer Carpenter’s previous album, “emails i can’t send”. “‘emails i can’t send’ felt like it was much deeper and more personal”, sophomore Callie Deng said.

On the other hand, “Short n’ Sweet” shows Carpenter’s growth as a singer-songwriter. Her personality and sense of humor shine through in her flirty and unserious lyrics and incredible vocals, even as she plays into her knowledge of the type of music and production people like to listen to.

“I think this is her big breakout, and I’m glad people are listening to it. I think she’s something to really look out for,” Ms. Clarke said.

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