Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, brilliantly weaves the story of her complicated relationships. Utilizing distinct instrumentals, creative lyricism and eye-catching visuals, each song truly transports the listener into her world. 

With her suggestive lyrical style, Carpenter humorously explores each intricate aspect of her past and current relationships, covering everything from the jealousy and despair of a breakup to the infatuation, pleasure and confidence she gets from a new partner. Carpenter combines these themes with her upbeat tracks and enthralling music videos to visualize Short n’ Sweet. 

Carpenter opens the album with “Taste,” which takes on a more modern pop sound, reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s  “I Can See You” through muted, slightly distorted backing vocals. “Taste” details the rivalry between Carpenter and her ex-boyfriend’s new partner. The lyrics speak directly to the ex’s current girlfriend, claiming that everything she likes about the man was created by his and Carpenter’s past relationship in the lines, “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you,” and “He’s funny now all his jokes hit different / Guess who he learned that from.” Although the lyrics paint Carpenter in an unflattering light, making her appear as a jealous ex, she becomes more secure in her relationship and strays from this envious behavior as Short n’ Sweet progresses. The “Taste” music video illustrates this idea when it flips the narrative on its head, featuring hilarious overly dramatic battles with graphic physical comedy between Carpenter and Jenna Ortega, who was portraying the new girlfriend. The video culminates with Ortega accidentally killing the man while trying to injure Carpenter. Later, the two girls bond at the funeral, further evidencing Carpenter’s growing maturity.

The album’s second track, “Please Please Please,” is Carpenter’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which features a simple pop instrumental with alternating bass kicks and high-hat hits in common time. Despite having such a simple arrangement, Carpenter’s vocality, such as when she uses her falsetto in the bridge, makes the song very catchy. It playfully contrasts her complex feelings of affection and concern for her boyfriend. Carpenter begs her current partner, Barry Keoghan, not to continue making bad choices when she sings, “I heard that you’re an actor / So act like a standup guy” and “Whatever devil’s inside you / Don’t let him out tonight.” Yet, Carpenter defends her choice of dating Keoghan in the lines, “I know I have good judgment / I know I have good taste / It’s funny and it’s ironic / That only I feel that way.” The “Please Please Please” music video highlights the conflict between Carpenter’s emotions and her Joker-Harley Quinn-like relationship. The video starts with Carpenter being released from a jail cell, referencing the end of the “Espresso” music video when she sees the love interest brought into jail. The rest of the video depicts Keoghan and Carpenter partaking in criminal escapades. While Carpenter condemns these actions, she still participates in them, mirroring the theme of “Please Please Please.” 

Carpenter continues Short n’ Sweet with “Bed Chem,” which describes her first interaction and the beginning stages of her relationship with Keoghan. In the track, Carpenter creatively uses innuendos and dirty humor; however, the instrumental and Carpenter’s vocals are just as important to the song’s mood. The background percussion features niche auxiliary instruments, including claves, and the crescendo and decrescendo of the synth background create a dreamy, wispy atmosphere. As for singing style, Carpenter makes various stylistic choices. She sings some lyrics in a whisper and others in a more conversational tone. Her vocals elevate the message in the lyrics and the instrumental mood, truly transporting the listener into the love story of the song. 

Following “Bed Chem” is “Espresso,” the single no one could escape since its release on April 11. The upbeat track reveals Carpenter’s self-confidence through the lyrics of how intoxicating she is to the song’s male subject. “Espresso” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200, a testament to Carpenter’s commercial success. The song’s musical elements create an image of a perfect summer oasis with the rise to the chorus before a sudden stop and the synth-guitar feature in between verses. Carpenter describes her ability to infatuate men through how she makes them feel addicted to her, as they would be to espresso. She exemplifies this in the lines, “And I got this one boy and he won’t stop calling / When they act this way, I know I got ‘em” and “Oh, he looks so cute wrapped ‘round my finger.” The “Espresso” music video further visualizes this through imagery of Carpenter at a beach with men flocking toward her.  

One of the album’s final tracks,  “Juno,” embraces the pop of the past, adapting a sound similar to 2010s pop music, such as Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Taylor Swift’s “Wonderland.” Although, it’s no surprise that the sound of Juno mirrors the sound of this era, considering the song references the 2007 film Juno. Carpenter alludes to the fact that the movie’s title character is pregnant when she sings, “If you love me right then who knows / I might let you make me Juno,” creating another hit of nostalgia combined with suggestive lyrics. Ultimately, the type of music embraced in “Juno” combined with its references to the past and completion of Carpenter’s progression makes it a top song on the album. 

Overall, the progression of the themes in “Please Please Please,” “Bed Chem” and “Espresso” to “Juno” contribute to Carpenter’s development in managing her relationships. Not only do the topics of loving someone dearly in each song contrast with the themes of jealousy in “Taste,” but they also show a path of progression. For example, “Please Please Please” and “Juno”, are both love songs about Keoghan; however, “Please Please Please” is sung from a helpless point of view, claiming there’s nothing she can do about his actions so she’ll stay with him regardless. On the other hand, “Juno” states that Keoghan must be good to her in order for her to stay. 

Short n’ Sweet takes the listener through the stages of a relationship — from puppy love to breaking up — each song imbued with lyrics that make you laugh, music that makes you imagine and music videos that take you into Carpenter’s world.  Short n’ Sweet is a shot of espresso – energizing, exciting and addictive.