All of Short n’ Sweet Ranked From Worst to Best

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet has been out for roughly two weeks, dominating playlists and the charts. We’ve decided to rank all twelve tracks from least to most sweet.

The singer has taken over our summer playlists with her new record, Short n’ Sweet. The artist took home her first VMA award and performed a medley of hits on stage. While you may know her viral singles like “Espresso” and “Taste,” the entire album has secured a third week on the Billboard Hot 100. After sitting with the slew of dynamic tracks, we decided to rank all twelve songs.

12. Dumb and Poetic

There is nothing bad about “Dumb and Poetic,” but nothing great either. In the song, the pop singer calls out an ex’s hypocrisy and idiocracy. It’s relatable but Carpenter’s over-the-top humor often clashes with the melancholic production. Lines like “J**k off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen,” take listeners out of the song’s more serious theme. 

11. Coincidence

The singer has been nothing short of bold on this record, playing with various genres. “Coincidence” might just be the biggest swing on the album, taking on a campfire folk sound. While it’s undeniably fun, the strong production takes it a little too far in the Simon and Garfunkle direction and away from the rest of the record. 

10. Don’t Smile

The alternative dream pop sound of “Don’t Smile” makes for a calming listen and a soft close to the record. Inverting the popular phrase, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” to “Don’t smile because it happened, cry because it’s over,” is catchy and smart, but beyond the hook, the song lacks lyrical substance. While perfect for a candlelit evening inside or a lowkey cocktail hour, the song’s too simple compared to the rest of the record. 

9. Slim Pickens

Perfectly meshing Dolly Parton with Kacey Musgraves is no easy feat and “Slim Pickens” does so without losing the artist’s signature charm. This single-girl anthem about the lack of suitable options in the dating world is dramatic, cynical, and honest—a perfect match with Generation Z. “Slim Pickens” is a solid addition but fails to compete with some of the singer’s more elaborate endeavors. 

8. Lie to Girls

“Lie to Girls” falls right in line with songs like Olivia Rodrigo’s “pretty isn’t pretty,” and Dua Lipa’s “Boys Will Be Boys.” These tracks attempt to tackle societal themes through an external perspective. She’s not just representing herself but a specific audience: girls, and this song successfully conveys the way girls make excuses for the men in their lives. 

7. Sharpest Tool

This track follows the more upbeat “Good Graces,” and “Taste,” diverting to a softer sound for the first time on the record. “Sharpest Tool” doesn’t follow a traditional song structure, making it hard to pinpoint where the chorus or bridge is. That said, there are little pockets of gold sprinkled throughout, including lines like, “I met your best friends, then a bird flies by and you forget.” This song is about the intricacies and pitfalls of a casual relationship, something Gen Z is sure to relate to. 

sharpest tool heads unite

— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) August 23, 2024

6. Espresso

There’s a reason, everyone has spent the summer singing, “That’s that me espresso.” It’s catchy and extremely endearing. The singer’s first single won Song of the Year at the 2024 VMAs and has successfully charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for months. Still, the production feels more commercial and the lyrics more lackluster than the more poignant and personal songs on the album. “Espresso” might just be the biggest song of the year, but it’s clear Carpenter has evolved since.

5. Good Graces

This song has a lot of attitude and rightfully so. In “Good Graces,” the pop star lays out her rules, threatening to be equally as dangerous as she is sweet. This is the windows down, singing in the shower song off the record, and the stair-stepping up and downs of the chorus make this song insanely addicting. 

Sabrina Carpenter leaving the studio after making Good Graces #ShortNSweet pic.twitter.com/yZxq4eZSaS

— ໊ (@pollynpocket) August 23, 2024

4. Juno

“Juno” takes the pop singer’s raunchy humor up to an eleven, cleverly referencing the 2007 film of the same title. The singer is unabashedly sensual, essentially telling someone they can make another one of her. The disco track feels grandiose, and, while steamy, also has a lot of heart. The twangy line, “You make me wanna make you fall in love,” implies that “Juno” is about more than just sexual desire, rather a blend of sexual urges and vibrant romance.

3. Taste

The most recent single off Short n’ Sweet is exactly what you’d think a Sabrina Carpenter song should sound like. It’s upbeat, funny, and a little crude. This rock-infused opener is energetic and out of pocket. It’s lines like, “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you,” that make this song stand out. 

2. Bed Chem

Full of 90’s luster, and the singer’s angelic runs, “Bed Chem” is one of the smoothest and most unique songs on the record. This genre-bender still fits with the rest of the record, due in part to the singer’s vocal consistency. Where “Coincidence” strays, “Bed Chem,” pulls the record together, utilizing the artist’s swoon-worthy vocal and modern honesty. This song is a pleasure on the ears and full of laugh-out-loud phrases, like “I bet the thermostat’s set at six-nine.”

1. Please Please Please

When the singer announced the album’s second single,” everyone wondered if she could duplicate the success and quality of “Espresso.” The pressure was high, and “Please Please Please,” not only met expectations but succeeded its predecessor. The tropical ballad showcased Carpenter’s songwriting capabilities and producer Jack Antanoff’s attention to detail.

You can listen to all twelve songs here.