Short n’ Sweet Soundtrack Surprise

Sabrina Carpenter’s summer soundtrack is a chocolate box of sweet surprises. Whether you’re eager to taste something rich and smooth or crunchy and punchy, her album is coated in crispy ballads and candy-pop bangers. There’s something for all of us– reveling romantics in love & heartbroken humans.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHAMMA O

The “Taste” Chocolate

Oh, it leaves quite an impression. An irresistible danceable one, to be exact. Sabrina’s smooth vocals ride the disco-pop train controlled through the pulsating bassline and shimmery synth sounds. Her playful creamy taunts are wrapped up in vivid imagery, painting a soft warning to her ex’s new girl. The track's infectious musical ingredients are blended perfectly to fit your empowering disco-pop anthem craving. Fillings of muted guitars build up a sweet anticipation before an explosion of candy-like dance floor flavours. This disco-infused opener immediately sets the tone and decadent gritty girl pop taste mixed throughout the album. 

The “Please Please Please” Chocolate 

Perfect if you have good judgment, perfect if you have good taste. In sugary confessions that are reminiscent of ABBA’s melodies, the boppy electric guitar alongside the flowy synth indulges in a California crunch vibe. Sabrina’s speak-singing enriches its brittle texture as she ruminates over past and present blunders. Her voice is drizzled over a muted guitar and a sprinkle of crunchy country mid-tempo drums. Biting into the second verse, a surprise of a creamy filling oozes through a fluffy key change, buttering up that “get your act together” vibe. 

The “Good Graces” Chocolate

The first nibble of this track starts with a fluttering gentle acoustic guitar and ethereal synths. As you sink your teeth into its sound, it switches to an assertive bouncy punch. This tangy track swirls with Sabrina’s breathy and light creamy vocals and pounces with an acidic taste of self-respecting sassy energy. Its dynamic and polished hook blends citrusy acoustics with velvety electronics. This track is an infectious and delicious way to set some relationship boundaries. 

The “Sharpest Tool” Chocolate

Let your guilt creep in and indulge in the delicate acoustic guitars, shimmering synths, and layered vocals of this lingering taste of pain and confusion. Seasoned with raw and honest tenderness, Sabrina dives into the emotional obliviousness of a past lover with a sound that mirrors Taylor Swift's recent work. With glitchy slices of chopped effects in the chorus, Sabrina’s emotions about the fragmented relationship rise with the gradual build-up of flavourful instrumentation. 

The “Coincidence” Chocolate 

This divine, puffy upbeat sonic landscape gives you a catchy sugary kick. The track is glossed with an intimate Joni Mitchell-eseque guitar strum wrapped in Sabrina’s self-assured milky vocals that dissolve like hot fudge. Blending coconut flakes of acoustic guitar and a walnut crunch of percussion, the dynamic production complements the biting lyrics that call out Sabrina's lover who's held space for a not-so-sweet cheat day. 

The “Bed Chem” Chocolate 

Even better than in your head. It’s a sensual flavour of R&B pop, glazed in Sabrina’s smooth and seductive vocals. With an atmospheric frosting that’s impossible to resist, it oozes a dreamy melody that isn’t just addictive but alluring. A sprinkle of R&B-inspired synths creates a nostalgic feel of 2000s fruity pop while that driving beat keeps the energy high and delectable. 

The “Espresso” Chocolate

Is it that sweet? I guess so… Filled with twisted humour, pollen and of course, espresso, the track moves with a sense of reggae uplift and delirious pop-disco, a fizzy yet luxurious, experimentally vintage vibe. Covered in a Mountain Dew-flavoured shell, it might cause sleepless nights, but it’ll have you wrapped around its frothy finger. 

The “Dumb Poetic” Chocolate

You’ll love the aesthetic of this silky shadowy acoustic ballad. Stripping back the album’s energy with vulnerable, velvet vocals and honest, rich buttercream lyrics, Sabrina melts into the soft strings of sadness with mouth-watering punchlines that crumble with their in-your-face weight. 

The “Slim Pickins” Chocolate 

In fingerpicking, bluesy country rumination, this track serves up somber moanin’ and b*tchin’ about the modern dating landscape. Sabrina’s melancholy tone is baked through her vocal vulnerability in this bittersweet ballad. As she navigates through the dark coats of frustration, she desires to arrive at a sweet-tasting caramelized center. The simplicity of instrumentation highlights tender vocals and the introspective longing for intimate infused connections. 

The “Juno” Chocolate

Have you ever tried this one? “Juno” is a punchy playful ode that flirts with themes of desire, commitment and the potential for a deeper decadent connection. Roasted and salted in electronic beats and synths, an extra layer of energy and excitement is blended with the flowery acoustic guitar and spongy charming vocals. Exuding a lightheartedness and youthful passion, Sabrina’s adlibs evoke Carley Simons and Shania Twain's mannerisms. You won’t be able to help yourself with the caramelized 80s-esque guitar break. 

The “Lie to Girls” Chocolate

A raw and cut-throat gulp of the deception, and self-deception, that occurs in a relationship soaked in facades. The bare-bones acoustic guitar opens up the song to a palate of vulnerability and introspection. “Lie to Girls” gravitates to haunting and emotional resonance as the texture expands through layered vocals and ethereal synths. Intimate yet expansive, a syrup of vulnerability and accusatory tones shine through Sabrina’s dreamy vocals that are toasted in hurt and anger. 

The “Don’t Smile” Chocolate

You might have the appetite to listen to this track both in the shower or while your friends are doing shots, but it will be a spicy hit either way. Captured through a melancholy melody, this poignant and heartfelt ballad is braised with the pain that lingers after a bad-tasting breakup and a struggle to swallow the experience. Iced with piano keys, electronic keyboard sounds and subtle lo-fi elements, Sabrina’s tender vocals are the perfect foamy toppings for instrumentation that create expansive emptiness.