React & Review: Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

I do know the difference between their, there, and they are.

This is easily the album I was most looking forward to this year. I’m a die-hard Swiftie, but I’ll ride or die Sabrina Carpenter any day of the week. I will not take any slander or hatred towards her. Absolutely not.

She’s an artist with no introduction and I don’t want to waste any more of your time. So without further ado, here are my first reactions to Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet.

Taste

Oooo. Okay, starting off with the track that was teased on the day right before release. I like it.

Okay, starting off a little pop-rock, maybe even pop-punk. That muted electric guitar is great.

You also have a sub-bassy kick drum and a very sharp and forward hi-hat, lending space for the guitars and her vocals. Again, really good. Definitely a departure, especially when you compare it to the first track on emails i can’t send. She’s starting things off more fun and upbeat. The bass line is much lower in the mix than I suspected, taking up a tiny bit of room in the 40-60 Hz range.

I love the pre-chorus, where the beat gets changed up. The snare gets swapped out for a tom in the right channel. Very spacious, indeed.

This track definitely gives off pop-rock vibes. It still has a bit of the old dance-pop Sabrina, but if this is the vibe for the rest of the album, I’m here for it. It’s a new sound, a new Sabrina.

Please Please Please

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve certainly heard this track before. Whether you’ve heard the clean version on the radio or at your local grocery store, or have been jamming out streaming the explicit version on streaming, it’s an absolute banger of a track.

Probably a hot take, but of the two singles I think Please Please Please is a significantly better track than Espresso. Leagues better. Obviously, so far I’ve only heard three tracks off of the album so there’s a lot more to listen to. But that’s kind of the Sabrina way. The overall vibe can change from track to track, even on the same album.

That said, there’s not much else to really comment on. Everyone knows the track. It’s great. Not my favorite, but it’s still a great track that hopefully fits well with the remainder of the album.

Good Graces

Okay. I’m only ten seconds into this track but why do I feel like we’re about to bring it back to early 2000s R&B? The acoustic guitar, soft synth, and ad-libs. Perfection.

Yeah no, even in the first verse. This really just brought me back 20 years. I don’t usually rewind or start a track over, but this is an exception.

This track is the opposite of spacious, it’s very intimate and very close. The soundstage is very tiny, but not in a bad way. Her backing vocals sound like they’re right next to you but at a slight 45-degree angle behind you.

It’s a certified head bopper. I’m only 1:10 into the track and it’s an instant heart.

The post-chorus is so unserious and fun. I won’t give a fuck about you over and over, but with different voice modulations. And don’t think I missed it, Sabrina. I heard the Oh, that’s cool.

I’m definitely fan girling here. How is it that we’re only three tracks in and I already know I’m going to love the rest of the album? That’s magic right there.

Sharpest Tool

I know a Smash Mouth reference when I see one. You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed.Yep, I was right. There’s the line 😂.

I love the bass here. Super sub-bassy. I’m listening on headphones, but I’m sure that’ll dig deeper with a proper subwoofer and speaker setup.

This track is very heavy on the percussion. Lots of various high frequency sounds, especially after the first verse.

Okay, hold up. Wait a minute. Her vocal effects in the second verse are extremely cool. Whoever produced this track needs to be applauded here. That probably took a ton of production work modulating her vocals like that. It’s not just the panning back and forth, but also the telephone effect being added as well. And wow, she piles on backing vocals doing the same effect as well. Again, a very cool production here. 👏🏼

We don’t talk about it. Uhh, yes we do. Just kidding, of course. I’m just appreciating the production of this track more than anything else and that lyric happens to me the line that sticks out to me as the track is about to end.

Coincidence

Right off the rip, this track sounds like something that possibly could’ve been recorded live with the count in. The acoustic guitar is a little messy, too. Again, signaling that it possibly was recorded on a stage, rather than in a recording booth.

To back that up even further, it sounds like Sabrina’s vocal had a ton of echo added to it. Her voice is very in your face. The choir vocals at the 43-second mark fit the track so well.

I think the best way to describe this track is it’s chaotic. It’s arranged in a way that makes it sound like it wasn’t just recorded in a studio (even though it undoubtedly was). Everything from her vocal arrangements to the acoustic guitar, to the various crowd noises sprinkled throughout the track.

Is that a coincidence?

Bed Chem

What an interesting song title choice. At first, I wrote out "Bad Chem." I had to triple check and make sure I was writing it correctly.

But back to the song itself, it sounds like we’re about to go into another R&B track. It’s a certified head bopper and I’m only 30-seconds into the track. The backing vocals at the 23-second mark are exceptional. Chef’s kiss.

The hi-hat pattern is something you should pay extremely close attention to. It changes beat-to-beat and even gets replaced by various percussive instruments throughout the track.

I think I’ve found myself a new ringtone. This track is so good. I’d be shocked if it doesn’t make my top three on this album. It’s that good. Plus the little a little fade out? at the end as the track fades out.

It’s funny. Going into this album, I was sincerely hoping we’d be getting a country Sabrina album, maybe even a jazz album. But I shouldn’t be terribly surprised she’s leaning into R&B a bit here. She’s had several tracks pre-EICS that proved she could do this genre exceptionally well.

Espresso

I’m not going to go too deep here. By now, everyone’s heard this track before. It’s a great summer bop.

Although, so far, I don’t think it’s going to make my top five tracks on the album, sadly. It has a lot of competition. In a vacuum, it’s a great track but this album has many of those and I can name a few that’ll top it and I still have five tracks left to listen to.

Espresso stans Please Please Please don’t come after me. I’ve said what I said. It was a great single that exploded in popularity, but every other track I’ve heard so far is better than it.

Dumb & Poetic

I’ve gotta say, this album is a lot more acoustic than I had originally expected. No hate, just an observation.

It sounds like this will be the first sad song thus far. I’m ready for it Sabrina, lay it on me. It’s definitely a breakup track. Just cause you talk like one, doesn’t make you a man. Big ouch.

If you’re not sobbing by the end of this track, then I don’t know what to say. It’s got me sobbing. This song is not for the faint of heart. The songwriting is exceptional and is very clear and concise. He’s expecting communication after the breakup and is trying to fix something that she has no interest in fixing. And now he’s acting out. Sabrina is ready to move on. Just let her move on dude!

Slim Pickins

Another one of those interesting titles. My spell check really wants to correct "pickins." My guess is this is going to be a more country-pop track judging by the first few seconds of the track. (I was right.)

Play them like a slot machine. If they’re winning, I’m losing. For a second, I thought we were going to get a rebound track. That line proves that I’m wrong.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a track reflect its title so well. Slim Pickins fits this perfectly. Even on the production side, it sounds like we have a box drum, an acoustic guitar, and a mic for her vocals. I could envision this playing at my local county fair.

I love this line, This boy doesn’t even know the difference between their, there, and they are they're. I mean, it sucks that he doesn’t know the difference, but I love a good grammar burn.

I’m also loving the bass here. It’s low in the mix, but it serves its purpose. It fills in the pockets quite well.

Juno

Oh hey, a dance-pop track. It’s weird that it caught me off guard considering her prior discography. But for the most part, she’s not really leaned into it on this album up until this point.

Wow. That pre-chorus. It just ripped the rug right out from underneath me. Interesting production choice. It caught me off guard and is a bit jarring if I’m being completely honest.

Juno kind of gives me toned down buy me presents vibes. The pacing is pretty similar, but despite Juno’s pop-dance vibe, it’s definitely a few keys lower than buy me presents.

What really sticks out to me on this track is that I’m having a hard time trying to decipher if this is an upbeat or sadder song. So far, my brain is kind of going "both?" and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Parts of it are so fun, but other parts rip my heart out. It’s an interesting phenomenon.

Okay, that bridge. There’s so much going on there. I won’t quote the lyrics here, but that paints quite an explicit picture. That combined with the breakdown drums makes this my favorite bridge so far. That alone makes it a top three track for me.

Oh, and a guitar solo? Yeah definitely. I’m glad she learned from Fast Times. I smell a new ringtone on the horizon.

By the end of it, yeah this is a super upbeat and fun track. Sorry if I had any doubts.

Lie To Girls

It’s giving skinny dipping vibes. Which, if you know me at all, you’ll know that skinny dipping was one of my favorite tracks on EICS.

The main vocal reverb combined with the modulation from the backing vocals on this track is so great. To the point where at certain points in the track, it’s hard to tell if she actually has a backing vocal there or if it’s her main vocal with a little bit of reverb added.

That’s a sign of a great production, honestly. When audio enthusiasts with high-end gear have a hard time discerning the different production techniques.

I know I’ve been typing it out a lot but wow. The transition into the second verse is so good. I thought this was going to be a more laid-back acoustic track. But no, there goes the record scratching effect plus a soft drum machine. That alone has my head bopping. It’s certified.

Again, just wow. The church vocals for the bridge are exceptional. It hits just right and gives the track some space. Of course, there’s a build up, transitioning into the final portion of the track, which sounds like it’s just going to be instrumentation.

Yeah, this production was chef’s kiss. I don’t know what else to say. I really enjoyed it. I’m running out of words to explain myself.

Don’t Smile

YESSSS! We’re ending the album with another banger of a track. Pop/R&B, maybe? I’m only 30-seconds in, yet I’m already bopping my head. Again, certified.

My heart is heavy now. It’s like a hundred pounds. It’s faster than the way you like to shut me down. That’s rough. We’ve all been there at some point in our lives. The person you trust the most breaks the trust. Maybe it was a secret that they let out. Maybe it’s a romantic partner you can no longer trust. Either way, it hurts. Some may say you’re Down Bad.

I’m a broken record, I don’t care. Wow, the pre-chorus vocal is so spacious and wide. It sounds like a concert hall... but you’re the only one in the auditorium with her. It’s beautiful.

You’re supposed to think about me every time you hold her. That’s really rough. She wants to move on, she really does. But she keeps thinking about him. Don't smile because it happened baby, cry because it's over.

My takeaway from this track is that it takes back to a time before I was even born. The track definitely gives late 80s, early 90s ballad. And I couldn’t think of a better way to close out the album.

This song is the sister track to decode for sure.

Conclusion

No surprise, Short n’ Sweet is yet another banger of an album from our beloved Sabrina Carpenter. Whether you’re a new fan or a Thumbs stan, it’s hard to hate this album. It has strong songwriting and an even stronger production as I’ve noted several times throughout my reaction.

My biggest takeaway is that she’s really matured as an artist. It’s only her second album after she left Disney’s Hollywood Records, but it’s her sixth studio album total. And it shows. Short n’ Sweet demonstrates a songwriter who’s been writing music for a very long time.

It has its peaks and valleys. Some of the tracks are fun and upbeat, but it has very vulnerable moments as well. It should come to no one’s surprise when I say this is her strongest album yet. But I genuinely think it’s a few steps up from emails i can’t send. It’s written from a place of healing and growth. And that’s always a win. There’s not much else you can ask for.

Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter is undoubtedly going to be among my top albums of the year. There’s still a little over four months left in the year, but I already know this will be in my top five for sure.

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NOTE: This reaction was completed after listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet on Qobuz via the Qobuz desktop application (24-bit, 48 kHz).