Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album has just dropped, and as someone whose Instagram bio when I was 12 was a lyric from her song ‘The Middle of Starting Over’, I was ready to hit play the moment I woke up.

At 36 minutes and 15 seconds, Short n’ Sweet is just that – it is filled with all the clever and witty lyricism listeners have grown to love since she has been catapulted into the mainstream. The pop culture zeitgeist has become rightfully obsessed with the unabashed fun artists are having with their music at the moment, with songs such as Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’ at the forefront of these discussions. The success of the album’s lead single, and the follow up ‘Please Please Please’ have made this one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Carpenter continues to explore fun and flirtatious writing on this album but, much like emails i can’t send, there are new songs that slow down to touch on the sadness and heartbreak of relationships.

If, like me, you were obsessed with Carpenter’s ‘Nonsense’ outros, then you are sure to love the clever innuendos and shameless flirting on tracks like ‘Bed Chem’ and ‘Juno’. Within the first few days of release, these songs have already sparked plenty of discussion online, as they are thematically and stylistically similar to the songs that launched Carpenter to stardom.

If, also like me, you have sobbed whilst singing along to the lyrics “you used a fork once / turns out forks are fucking everywhere”, then songs like ‘Dumb & Poetic’ and ‘Lie To Girls’ are sure to soundtrack your next good cry. The more emotional songs on the album compliment the fun and upbeat tracks perfectly. The change in pace never feels awkward, instead these slower songs provide the album with a necessary balance.

Short n’ Sweet is Carpenter’s sixth album, although it is only her second to be released independently from Disney, and it seems safe to say that she has taken full advantage of this new creative freedom. If emails i can’t send saw Carpenter begin to establish a new public image and creative identity, then listeners will know for certain that she has found her style on this latest album.

Although the final song on the album, ‘Don’t Smile’, tells us not to smile because it happened and instead cry because it’s over, as my first listen to the album came to an end, I found myself refusing both options. Instead, I reached for the play button again straight away.