Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’ is a no-skips album but which songs hit the hardest?
2024 is Sabrina Carpenter’s year and her latest album, “Short n’ Sweet,” is a true testament to that.
2023 foreshadowed Carpenter’s success with TikTok remixes of “Nonsense” and “Feather,” but it was 2024’s “Espresso” that catapulted the former Disney star to superstardom. Hot off the heels of “Please Please Please,” this album is perfectly timed and highly anticipated.
“Short n’ Sweet” has 12 songs and while all are amazing, some are more notable bangers than others. Here are all 12 songs, ranked from good to greatest.
12. “Lie To Girls”
Sabrina Carpenter drops major truth bombs in “Lie To Girls” that will definitely sting. I mean, “You don’t have to lie to girls, if they like you they’ll just lie to themselves.” Okay, ouch. Everyone has gone through that phase where you decide to stay in a relationship that is less than healthy, and Carpenter sings that truth in this song.
While her harmonies shine in this song, other tracks simply overshadow “Lie To Girls.”
11. “Don’t Smile”
“Don’t Smile” is a slow, bitter jam that shows Carpenter in the process of a major heartbreak. The song has her sounding as if her soul has been sucked out of her due to the hurt, showing that sometimes it’s hard to smile through the pain.
One major gripe about “Don’t Smile” is how repetitive it sounds. If you’re just casually listening to the song, you might not even notice when “Don’t Smile ends.”
10. “Coincidence”
This acoustic track is giving country-indie vibes, and could seamlessly be added to a road trip playlist. The song has Carpenter lamenting over being betrayed in a relationship.
“Coincidence” reminds me of a campfire song, but not in a good way. While lyrically still great, her other songs had wittier lyrics that are more memorable than “Coincidence.”
9. “Slim Pickins”
“Slim Pickins” leans heavier on country influencers than “Coincidence,” so if that’s your style, then this song might be for you. “Slim Pickins” is about settling for someone you know doesn’t deserve you, and how that heartbreak hurts immensely.
“Slim Pickins” is a grower, especially since Carpenter has heavily rooted her music in pop. While still charming, “Slim Pickins” does not play to Carpenter’s strong suit.
8. “Dumb & Poetic”
For people who have been personally victimized by an arrogant, entitled, and faux-intellectual man, “Dumb & Poetic” is your song. The lyrics “Just because you talk like one / Doesn’t make you a man” will forever be etched into my brain.
Sadly, I have to dock points for the “You’re so empathetic, you’d make a great wife” line. The lyrics come off as sexist and stereotypical, and I think we as a society have (mostly) grown out of this kind of thinking.
7. “Good Graces”
This song gives major late-2010 vibes, like something Ariana Grande or Camila Cabello would have released. It’s a groovy track in which Carpenter reminds her partner that if he does her dirty, she will not hesitate to end his world.
“Good Graces” is the perfect IDGAF song. No man will trample on Carpenter’s ego, and she’s making sure EVERYONE knows.
6. “Sharpest Tool”
“Sharpest Tool” is the perfect situationship breakup song. The song reminisces on a failed romance that did not make it to the exclusivity stage. Sometimes it’s those breakups that leave us the most broken up, because of how blurry the lines were.
“Sharpest Tool” perfectly showcases the messiness of dating culture today, and how some people love leaving things in the dark before ultimately having the love fizzle out. It’s painful, and that’s why it’s such a good listen.
5. “Please Please Please”
When this song first came out, I have to admit I was obsessed. The way it was obviously about her boyfriend Barry Keoghan, and how she had him star in the music video was chef’s kiss. Lyrically, “Please Please Please” has Carpenter begging her partner to not prove her and the haters right. Don’t show his red flags, and don’t embarrass her as she gives the relationship a chance.
“Please Please Please” is for all the people who had to justify why they were dating their significant other to skeptical family and friends. For those who are guilty of going into relationships with rose-colored glasses, this is for you.
4. “Taste”
This is the best choice for an opener, and I’m glad Sabrina Carpenter chose “Taste” as the first song of the album. The song talks about being the other woman in a love triangle, and how the other woman would have to “taste” Carpenter while kissing her ex.
It’s spunky and cocky, showing how unbothered she is that her ex has run back to his last girl. “You’ll just have to taste me / When he’s kissin’ you” is already going viral on TikTok, and it appears Carpenter knew this song would be her next viral track. Talk about a foreseeing queen!
3. “Bed Chem”
“Bed Chem” is a flirty song that shows Carpenter’s naughty side. It’s riddled with sexual innuendos, dirty talk, and hilarious yet raunchy lyrics that are 100% NSFW. The best part has to be Carpenter’s playfully talking, almost rapping, as if she was flirting with you directly.
The song gives major 2000s R&B and pop vibes. With lyrics like, “Said you’re not in my timezone / But you wanna be / Where are thou? Why are not uponeth me?,” “Bed Chem” is the perfect example of how witty and funny Carpenter can be.
2. “Juno”
“Juno” exudes major ’80s vibes and references the 2007 hit rom-com Juno. To be explicit, the song is about liking a guy so much that you want to have his babies. It’s about having a new crush and feeling giddy, girly, but also, er, excited.
It is physically impossible to not dance to this song. I can already see this song trending on TikTok and X/Twitter.
1. “Espresso”
“Espresso” was the song of the summer, and it’s still on repeat. In fact, it might just be the song of the year, going head to head with Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe!” The song talks about how a man is so smitten over her that they can’t sleep, as if they took a shot of espresso.
The song is EVERYWHERE—and it’s so good, it deserves to be blasted in every corner. It’s the perfect embodiment of pop-girl energy and the reason why Carpenter is the icon she is now. We need to give props to the queen that is “Espresso”!
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