Contrary to popular belief, pint-sized blonde bombshell Sabrina Carpenter did not just materialize into existence this summer alongside her hit single, “Espresso.” In fact, the former child star has been releasing music for over ten years, with all but her most recent two albums produced by the Disney-adjacent Hollywood Records. So although “Short n’ Sweet” is technically Carpenter’s sixth studio album, it feels a lot more like her second.

Now free of her childhood contract, Carpenter has taken the opportunity to make an adult record and run with it as far as it will take her. “Short n’ Sweet” is one of the most overtly sexual mainstream pop albums released in recent history, if not all time. Carpenter does enjoy more than her fair share of innuendos, but she’s also not afraid to say exactly how she’s feeling—exemplified in “Juno” with the line “I’m so fucking horny.” But despite the album’s explicitness, it never feels perverse, crass or even cringey, as Carpenter keeps everything she says tongue-in-cheek. Her lyricism has a lightness and ease that naturally repels any awkwardness, inciting flirtatiousness and a desire to keep listening to her music instead.

This often flippant tone of Carpenter’s is a nice segue into her album’s second greatest charm–its humor. Normally people don’t look for comedy when they listen to music, but “Short n’ Sweet” indicates that maybe we should change that assumption. Most people are probably familiar with the lyric “I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherfucker” from her second single “Please Please Please” as it went semi-viral earlier this summer, but Carpenter makes her fair share of jokes over the course of the album. Some other favorites of mine include “How’s the weather in your mother’s basement?” from “Needless to Say” and “This boy doesn’t even know/The difference between ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they are!’” from “Slim Pickins.” Carpenter’s onstage persona has always been quite funny—exemplified by her famous “Nonsense” outros—and I’m glad that she’s finally bringing her humor into the recording studio too.

In terms of the album’s sound, it too is largely an upgrade from the pop album standard. Many of the songs off “Short n’ Sweet” have quite a retro feel to them, particularly referencing the ’70s and ’80s. Slate describes “Espresso” with “1980s roller-rink groove,” and Variety equates “Please Please Please” to “Dolly Parton-meets-ABBA,” both of which I think are true, albeit exaggerated descriptors. And like her quasi-mentor Taylor Swift, whom Carpenter opened for on the Latin American leg of the Eras Tour, Carpenter experiments with a more country sound on parts of the album. This is seen particularly in “Slim Pickins” but also crops up in “Coincidence,” “Dumb & Poetic” and “Please Please Please.” Country music seems like it would be an odd choice for such an on-trend, pop-forward singer, but Carpenter’s soulful voice actually takes on a twang quite nicely.

However, it has to be said that while much of the album has this great vintage, folksy vibe, some of it is pretty uninspired. I am personally not the biggest fan of “Espresso,” which sounds like it was crafted specifically to play on repeat at defunct shopping malls across the country. “Taste,” in spite of the flashy music video it’s accompanied with, is destined to become yet another H&M anthem. (Of the poppier songs off “Short n’ Sweet,” I think “Please Please Please” and “Good Graces” are the clear standouts.) And as for Carpenter’s slower, more emotional numbers like “Don’t Smile” and “Lie to Girls,” they’re pretty weak, both lyrically and sonically. I understand that these songs are intended to counteract the sometimes syrupy sweetness of the rest of the album, but let’s be honest, they’re a slog to get through, and we’d probably all be happier if they weren’t there.

All criticism aside, I think “Short n’ Sweet” is a pretty good album and a fun listen. In the arena of summer pop releases, Carpenter managed to more than hold her own against the likes of Charli xcx, Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, all of whom but the latter are seasoned pop icons. And like Roan, it’s safe to say that Carpenter’s not just going to be an opener anymore–it’s clear that from here on out, she’s a star in her own right.