Like a lot of people, I first became interested in singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter when she became ensnared in the Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett love triangle. In case you missed the entire year of 2021, Olivia’s breakout single “Driver’s License” dominated the airwaves, broke Spotify records, and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance. The lyrics discussed a first love that moved on quickly after breaking Olivia’s heart, causing fans to wonder, “Who is that blonde girl she is talking about?” Rumor on the street was that Ms. Carpenter was the culprit, and since I am a hoe for celebrity gossip, I obviously had to learn everything I could about this “other woman.”
As it turns out, Sabrina Carpenter makes a terrible tabloid villain because she is just so damn likable and very, very talented. As I scoured Youtube for interviews and music videos, I quickly pieced together a picture of a woman who is funny, humble, driven, and kind- not at all the evil homewrecker that the Rodrigo fandom would have you believe. Not to mention, her music was good. Like REALLY good. The albums Singular: Act I and Singular: Act II showcased the exact kind of RnB-infused pop music that I adore, and songs like “In My Bed,” “I’m Fakin,” and “Sue Me” were easy additions to my daily playlists.
As a pop music fan, it was hard to believe that I had slept on this artist for so long. By the time I discovered the magic that is Sabrina Carpenter, her fifth studio album was set to drop on July 15th, 2022, and it couldn’t come soon enough. I have since listened to this album more times than I can count, and I am proud to present my (definitely not definitive) ranking for every track on emails i can’t send.
13. how many things– This song has so many great aspects. Foremost, the opening line, “You used a fork once, turns out forks are fucking everywhere.” It is a funny and simple way of expressing how the dumbest things can remind you of someone you love. Sabrina Carpenter’s wry sense of humor and down-to-earth lyrics are a huge part of what makes this album special, and this song is a perfect example of that. However, after a heart-wrenching verse and pre-chorus, I did find the chorus to be very underwhelming. It’s not a total miss for me, but it’s not my favorite.
12. emails i can’t send– The opening track to the eponymous album, this song is about how a father’s infidelity (presumably Sabrina’s father) negatively affected his family. It is vulnerable and raw, with a rhythm, melody, and lyrics that really emphasize the anger of the speaker. While “emails” is a truly powerful expression of grief, it feels out of place on an album that is almost entirely about the singer’s romantic relationships.
11. Bad for Business– This track is the second to last on the album, and while it isn’t a bad song at all, it just doesn’t match the caliber of its peers. “Business” is about as Taylor Swiftian as any of the tracks on emails i can’t send, with Carpenter crooning, “They don’t know me like my baby.” It’s a sweet ode to how love can make a girl crazy, and Sabrina’s honeyed vocals seem right at home amidst the folky instrumentation. This song is one of the many tracks on the project that demonstrate a huge sonic departure from Singular: Act I & II, and personally, I feel that the soft-pop vibe really suits this singer.
10. because i liked a boy– THIS. TRACK. IS. THE. TEA. It is exactly what so many of us were hoping to get out of this album: A response to the drama that has enveloped this young starlet for the past year and a half. It addresses all the undue criticism that Sabrina received after the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” rejecting the narrative that an infidelity had occurred. Honestly, the whole situation pained me to watch, because while all three parties were struggling to process their own issues, their respective fandoms wanted nothing more than to take down the other side. As much as I love celebrity gossip, I think it’s important to respect celebrities as human beings and understand that what you read online is never the full story. With that said, this song did strike me as a little too on-the-nose. It is fun as a cultural moment, but I don’t see this as an enduring hit for Carpenter.
9. Tornado Warnings– This track was created with pop songwriting It Girl Julia Michaels, and her poetic and verbose style really shines through. With lines like, “We were never in the park, talkin’ on seesaw, teetering with our feelings in the dark, ignoring tornado warnings,” this song perfectly conveys the contradiction of running straight towards a person you know is bad for you. I do think Carpenter missed an opportunity for an iconic song title featuring the ultra-relatable lyrics “lying to my therapist.” But alas, it was not to be.
8. decode– What a breathtakingly beautiful closing track! “decode” examines a troubled relationship in the past tense, with Carpenter expressing relief that she is finally at peace with what was. The singer gives such a bittersweet and emotive performance, and it really makes me appreciate Sabrina as a vocalist. My favorite part, though, is the sweeping Jeremy Larson-esque string section in the outro, which perfectly reflects the freedom and self-love that comes as you heal from a traumatic relationship.
7. bet u wanna– This is a Kylie Minogue-inspired song if I ever heard one! From the airy vocals to the dark, disco beat, “bet u wanna” is serving the iconic “cool girl” energy that both Kylie and Sabrina are known and loved for. I love how Carpenter uses her acting prowess to deliver a nuanced performance that is both caustic and unbothered at the same time. With biting lyrics about an ex who wants what he can no longer have, this track highlights Carpenter’s “main pop girl” potential and begs the question, “Why isn’t she bigger?”
6. Read your Mind– If it isn’t clear yet, the disco-infused songs on emails i can’t send are some of my favorites on this album. The production on “Read your Mind” is candy-sweet, with bombastic string flourishes and a bassline that won’t quit. I love that Sabrina plays with our expectations, following up the high-energy verses with a surprisingly downbeat chorus. It’s one of many surprises on this album that make Carpenter such an interesting artist.
5. skinny dipping– I was a little taken aback by this first single, an acoustic guitar-driven number with some very strange quirks. The verses have this stream-of-consciousness style where it feels like the singer is just trying to cram all their thoughts in before the chorus hits. It’s very reminiscent of one-hit-wonder Maria Mena’s “You’re The Only One,” and at first, I wasn’t a fan. However, “skinny dipping” did eventually grow on me, in part because Sabrina’s speaking voice is just so dang nice to listen to. (I mean, really, I wish she would start recording audiobooks.) And upon subsequent listens, one can’t help but notice the poetry that is baked into the lyrics: “We’ve been swimming on the edge of a cliff. I’m resisting, but goin’ down with the ship. It’d be so nice if we could take it all off and just exist and skinny dip in water under the bridge.” Carpenter does a beautiful job of conveying the hope that maybe, with time and healing, two people can rekindle the flame that brought them together to begin with.
4. Already Over– This track was made with Sabrina’s dream team of Julia Michaels, JP Saxe, and John Ryan, and it is, in my opinion, the best iteration of the new, folkier sound that Carpenter was exploring on this album. With stomping rhythms, tight harmonies, and a chorus full of hand claps, “Already Over” could easily slot in on a playlist alongside Mumford and Sons or Florence + The Machine. The track puts a joyful spin on the painful experience of holding on to a former love just a little too long. After all, if Sabrina is going to have her heart broken, she might as well have fun doing it.
3. Fast Times– This sultry track borrows its chord structure from the jazz standard “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” and that throwback feel serves as the perfect backdrop for the whirlwind romance described therein. Throughout the song, the singer shows glimmers of awareness that she may be headed for disaster, but ultimately decides that this mistake is too delicious not to make. “Tiptoeing past so many stages,” Carpenter coos in her smokiest, lounge-singer voice before adding the cheeky declaration, “But what the fuck is patience?”
2. Vicious– Honestly, this one should have been the lead single. Not only do the lyrics address the Sabrina-Joshua side of the infamous love triangle, but the singer’s vocal performance is STUNNING. In some ways, this track feels like it could be a Fleetwood Mac song, with Carpenter channeling all the pain and emotion of Stevie Nicks’ voice. I also can’t help but notice how the sentiment of this song mirrors the hurt and betrayal expressed in “Drivers License.” In fact, a nod to Olivia’s song appears when Sabrina sings, “I shoulda known all along, I was only the next one to take your love songs as a promise.” These two girls have been through it, and if I could write a happy ending to this mess of a story, it would have to include these two starlets uniting over the ex that did both of them dirty.
1. Nonsense– This track is the absolute star of emails i can’t send, and it will probably feel the most familiar to listeners who loved Singular: Act I & II. “Nonsense” is a fun and sexy take on puppy love that is full of surprises. From the twangy guitars in the production to the mid-chorus octave leap, Carpenter pulls out all the stops to show her love interest that she is absolutely crazy for them. I love how her sense of humor shines through on the song, and as always, the vocals are captivating.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really haven’t stopped listening to this album since it was released, and I think part of that is because there is just so much variety and substance within it. Every time I listen through, I find another reason to start it over again. Foremost, Carpenter is an incredibly versatile vocalist and the songs on this project really cover the full range of emotions that she is able to portray, from angry rock songs, to wistful folk tunes, to sexy RnB, and back. She does an excellent job of choosing the right vocal style and production for each story, but the flip side of this is that the album does come off as a little unfocused. Jumping from organic, acoustic pieces like “how many things” into slick, commercial pop numbers like “bet u wanna” was initially very jarring, and the track listing could certainly use some rearranging. However, the album is securely tied together by its narrative – a thoughtful examination of the life and death of a very public relationship. The way in which Sabrina discusses her personal life on emails i can’t send shows a tremendous amount of self-awareness and growth, and I have to assume that creating this album was extremely cathartic for her. Overall, this album was an incredible accomplishment for this young artist, and I can’t wait to see what she will do next.
Pop Apologist 