FEATURE:
Revisiting...
Sabrina Carpenter - emails i can't send
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WHEN considering…
PHOTO CREDIT: Vince Aung
which album to include in this Revisiting…, I came to an artist that some may not know about. Sabrina Carpenter is one of the most promising voices in Pop music. The Pennsylvania-born sensation released her fifth studio album, emails i can’t send, last year. Whilst it won some acclaim, I am not sure that it is played enough. Plenty of people do not know about the album. That is a shame, as I do not feel it is one for Carpenter’s fanbase solely. There is plenty in there that many people will enjoy. I am going to come to reviews for the album soon enough. Before that, there are interviews that I want to get to. This feels like a debut album. Her first on Island, many noted how emails i can’t send is Sabrina Carpenter at her most honest and personal. The deepest and most realistic portrait of her so far, there is a great importance and weight behind her fifth studio album. Rolling Stone spoke with Carpenter last year. Almost tackling perceptions of herself on the first four albums, emails i can’t send is her telling her own story and looking ahead:
“IT’S NOT THAT Sabrina Carpenter was putting up a front in her music before, it’s just that she — a Disney Channel actress since age of 13 — was “programmed” to be confident “till the day I die.” With her new music, Carpenter changes out the Disney-girl chip and lets the unfiltered thoughts in her brain run free, even if it places her in a place to be judged. She’s gotten used to that, anyway.
“I had to fight the urge to do what I normally do — cover it up with confidence — and instead just actually feel those feelings,” Carpenter says of her fifth album, Emails I Can’t Send, out Friday. “The tolerance for bullshit in the last two years really minimized for me.”
She adds, “When you’re younger, it’s a lot easier to let the words and labels that people put on you affect you and become part of who you are. Once you start to rebel against that, it starts to feel a little bit scarier, but also a bit more freeing. That’s why it felt like growing pains the whole time that I was making it.”
Along with facing heartbreak, the new album deals with the perceptions and sometimes-harsh assumptions that she faced after fans made her into a tertiary villain in a Disney-actor love triangle with Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.
“Now I’m a homewrecker/I’m a slut/I got death threats…” she sings. “Tell me who I am, ’cause I don’t have a choice/All because I liked a boy.”
The LP, which features singles “Fast Times,” “Skinny Dipping,” and “Vicious,” shows a deeply vulnerable version of the singer confronting her feelings, and coming to terms with the fact that she doesn’t — and never — had control over what people think about her. She feels that her best work comes when she sheds the need to be relatable or fully understood.
“I’m fully aware that even if you try to break it down, really really break it down for people, they still might not understand,” she says.
Most important of all, she’s now seeing things in hindsight, unlike when she dropped her track “Skin” as the Rodrigo-Bassett fire blazed around her in 2021. “I’m not in that exact place anymore,” she says.
“People can say whatever they want to say, but I was lucky to be able to verbalize an experience that some people have been through,” she adds. “Hopefully it has helped them get through their experience with a little bit more strength and understanding. If I can do that, then I don’t have regrets”.
I am going to come to some reviews soon. Before that, Vogue asked Carpenter about emails i can’t send. The radical honesty of it is amazing. With many of the songs written from emails that she was going to send herself; it is no wonder that Rolling Stone voted it one of their favourite albums of last year. Not that Carpenter’s first four albums lacked something personal, but it is clear that we get to know much more about this remarkable artist on her fifth outing. I would urge anyone who has not heard it to give it a listen:
“While Emails I Can’t Send is, somewhat remarkably, her fifth album – the first four, which leaned more pop, were all released via Disney’s Hollywood Records, while Emails is her first outing since moving to Island Records early last year – there’s something about it that feels like a new beginning for the musician. As was the case for so many, the pandemic forced a stark reevaluation of what mattered to Carpenter – and when it came to music, that meant tapping into a frankness and candour (mostly the product of writing songs at home alone), as well as a greater sense of autonomy as she shaped the sound and aesthetic of the record.
“One thing that experience did do was that it stripped back a lot of layers of tolerating anything that’s less than real, because I didn’t really have the energy to tolerate anything that was less than genuine and authentic at that time,” she says. (Another factor in Carpenter’s willingness to let down her guard may have been the tabloid maelstrom that followed the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License”, the lyrics of which some interpreted as a response to her ex, fellow Disney actor Joshua Bassett, embarking on a new relationship with Carpenter.)
Where Emails I Can’t Send departs from Carpenter’s heroes from decades past, however, is in its sprinkling of very Gen Z references (from unread texts to lying to your therapist to anonymous online death threats), among more timeless, heart-on-your-sleeve elegies to lost love. It feels like the most fully realised vision of Carpenter the musician – and the most rounded portrait of Carpenter the human being – yet. “I would hope that if someone had never listened to my music before, and they listened to this album, they would leave it feeling like they know me better as a person,” she says.
Here, Carpenter tells Vogue about the unusual writing process for the album, balancing heartbreak with humour, and why she can’t wait to get back on the road and perform live.
When did you start writing the record? Was there a clean break between the songwriting for Singular [Carpenter’s previous album] and Emails I Can’t Send?
I was doing a run on Broadway [in Mean Girls] right before the pandemic, and once the shutdown happened, I sort of went into this mode of... I mean, everybody has their way of coping. Some people were like, I’m not going to do anything for however long, and I’m just going to take this time off for myself and recuperate. But for me, I was like, I’m going to start this process [of writing a new album]. I knew that it would take a long time, because I really wanted to take my time with this project in particular. I signed with a new label in the middle of the pandemic, and I think there’s so much that changes between the ages of 18 to 21, so I knew that this project would be very different. But the process kind of started there. It incorporated a lot of living life as well as it did actually working on the music – I was really writing through everything that I was experiencing.
You’ve said that in some of your previous records, there were aspects of yourself you covered up with confidence, and this record is a lot more confessional. Was there any specific turning point for you where you thought, hey, I’m going to be a bit more candid this time around?
I think I’ve always been someone that likes to change things up, and no project I’ve ever made has been the same as the one before it. But honestly, I feel like the reason I couldn’t write some of those more vulnerable, some of those more insecure, some of those more forward songs before is because I just hadn’t felt those emotions. I think when you’re younger, it’s very easy to see the world and think that you can take it on – you have all the confidence required to do that. And then once you start to get humbled by the world, it’s very easy to be like, oh, never mind, backtrack, backtrack. And that’s where these feelings started to creep in. I was worried for a second that it wasn’t the fully confident pop record that fans who have been following me for a long time might be coming to my music for. I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest, but if anything, I realised that there’s far more strength in vulnerability and insecurities, because they are the emotions that I think we’re all kind of scared to face – even if that doesn’t make them any less real.
PHOTO CREDIT: Vince Aung
How literal was the title? Did any of the lyrics actually originate as emails you couldn’t send?
Yeah, totally. I think the hardest thing for me has always been naming the album. I don’t know why, but I think it’s just the fact that you have so many stories in one place, and you’re expected to slap one word on it. That’s a lot of pressure. When I wrote the actual title track, I was [using] one of the emails that I had written to myself, and I just said out loud: “That’s the name of the album!” Then every song kind of came from that place. Every song came from those emails or messages or whatever my way of coping was at the time. I think it captures a really important time in my life.
How do you decide which aspects of your personal life to include and which to leave out, especially given the intense scrutiny about your lyrics online?
It’s funny, because I look back on songs that I wrote when I was 16 and 17. The first time I ever got sued, I wrote a song called “Sue Me.” Taking personal situations in my life and being able to turn them into art was always a way of healing myself, and also understanding those situations a bit better. And so nothing changed in that sense. I’ve always been writing from that very real place. But I’m also not naïve, and even the songs that are literally about nothing at all, I’m sure people would be able to take all kinds of things from them and run with it, because I think that’s just what people do, they love the dramatics and the theatrics of it all. But personally, I don’t ever write from a place of thinking about people hearing this, and thinking about what they might assume. Otherwise, I don’t think the songs would feel honest. I think that the whole thing behind this album was really to do with me writing those emails. I was never writing emails to myself and thinking about actually sending them, or thinking about what other people would think about them, because I really was just doing it for myself, and it was a way to cope. So I kind of tried to stick with that through the album and just write songs thinking, I can say whatever I want, because no one’s ever gonna hear this. And then, yeah, I’ll just have to throw my phone in the ocean when the album comes out. [Laughs.]
It feels like you really get a fuller picture of your personality on the record, including your sense of humour.
I do think that a lot of the time, as a person, I deflect with humour, so it was only natural that a lot of the things that I was writing about – even some of the most painful moments of my life – were just so stupid, honestly, that it made me laugh. I was able to take these situations that really hurt me and use humour to cope with them. Someone that listened to the album said, “It’s almost like your music is a romantic comedy.” It felt like a weird way to describe it at first, but I guess it makes a lot of sense. I think as a songwriter I do romanticise, but at the same time, those moments of innocence and humour are the moments that I find really special. Most of the time I think, Nobody will find this funny, I’m just doing it for myself. But I think that’s all part of making something that feels a little bit closer to me”.
I am going to get to some reviews. The Indiependent provided their take on one of the most important and memorable albums from last year. Even though it was a chart success in the U.S., it didn’t get the same sort of sales and success in other parts of the world. I think that more people should have snaped up this incredible album. There is no doubt that emails i can’t send is a powerful listening experience:
“After a three-year hiatus, Sabrina Carpenter finally hit the send button on her highly-anticipated fifth studio album, emails i can’t send.
As suggested by the American singer-songwriter herself, the 13-track record is her most personal project yet. It invites the listener to take a ride on an emotional roller-coaster, exploring the inner corners of Carpenter’s mind; whereas her previous records Eyes Wide Open, EVOLution, and the two-act Singular exude innocence, self-reliance, and confidence with the occasional melancholic track in-between, emails i can’t open contains grit that simply can’t be matched. It’s a story of Carpenter’s perseverance and a much-needed step towards reclaiming her narrative.
The title track is arguably Carpenter’s best-written album opener to date. “There’s no us in us when I’m lackin’ trust / You wanna discuss, ugh, you disgust me,” she sings from the perspective of a daughter who finds out about her father’s affair; she also elaborates on how such infidelity has negatively impacted her own perception of relationships. In less than two minutes, the song packs a punch that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album: raw, multifaceted, and self-reflective.
With the help of fading out piano melodies and a reference to the 1975 musical Chicago, the song smoothly transitions into one of the album’s singles, ‘Vicious’, where Carpenter continues to explore a failed relationship. However, this time it’s her own, which explains the song’s somewhat heated and intense approach (and the sudden 86-to-130 BPM change between the first two tracks).
The album’s third track, ‘Read your Mind’, is almost like a farewell to the dwindling Singular era. It’s upbeat. It’s sassy. It’s got gorgeous vocal layering that Carpenter is known for. But it’ll probably be the only track for the foreseeable future to remind her listeners of the previous project. Even though it contains a fragment of whom Carpenter used to be musically, it also offers a glimpse of what’s yet to come.
The next track, ‘Tornado Warnings’, confirms that. In a rather poetic take on lyricism, Carpenter ignores her significant other’s red flags and then tries to convince herself that she doesn’t… essentially lying to herself, her audience, and the therapist she sings about. Quite ironically, she’s aware of that.
Some things don’t need explanation. And that’s exactly the case with ‘because i liked a boy’, the record’s most straightforward offering lyrically; a sincere narration of the 23-year-old Carpenter’s efforts to navigate public scrutiny. It effortlessly pulls at one’s heartstrings, leaving no room for interpretation, especially when it comes to the song’s double-bridge. And rightfully so, for it’s solely her story to tell.
‘Already Over’ and ‘how many things’ mark the end of the record’s first half. One vastly different from another, they testify to love’s miscellaneous nature. The former of the two contains some of Carpenter’s most paradoxical lyricism yet, with underlying Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves influences; “I say I’m done, but I’m still confused / How am I supposed to close the door when I still need the closure?” Carpenter wonders, describing the fragility of a relationship that should’ve ended long ago. The latter, on the other hand, portrays an extremely vulnerable side of her as she opens up about feeling worthless in the eyes of her former lover.
The second half of emails i can’t send swaps the reflective melancholy for playfulness and hopeful nostalgia. The seventh track, ‘bet u wanna’, is certainly one of the project’s biggest standouts, bringing back the bold and daring side of Carpenter’s sound. And this resurfaced confidence bleeds right into the following track, ‘Nonsense’, with sexual innuendos, catchy soundscapes, and raspy-to-silky smooth vocals that attest to the singer’s extreme versatility.
The album’s sentimental lead single and its infectious successor — ‘skinny dipping’ and ‘Fast Times’ — further investigate the aftermath of a relationship. In yet another experimental approach to music, Carpenter abandons all formulas and leans into spoken word for ‘skinny dipping’, taking a detour from the radio-friendly songwriting; as confirmed by the artist herself, the single’s oddly-specific verses resemble an awkward encounter with an ex-partner, which further adds to the project’s conceptual undertone. Both of the singles feature instrumental bridges with laid-back, euphonious melodies perfect for the lounge (just like the rest of the album).
Despite the fairly cheerful production, ‘Bad for Business’ embodies one of the most dangerous aspects of love: fixation. “He’s good for my heart but he’s bad for business / Tears me apart when he grants my wishes,” Carpenter sings carelessly, while the song’s lyrics gradually unfold as acceptance of uncontrollably flying into the face of danger. Similarly to ‘Already Over’, this song also seems to be influenced by country music and allows Carpenter to test out brand-new waters, which she does successfully.
Ultimately, the album’s final track, ‘decode’, is a sombre but hopeful conclusion to the 39-minute long record. And this is where Carpenter shines as a songwriter; when she isn’t afraid of letting go and acknowledges the hurt she’s experienced. One of the most beautiful things about this track is how subtly Carpenter takes the base of the first half and then turns it around in the second, giving the story a new allegory; from “I’m so tired / Reread every single undertone” to “I’m so tired / Unpacked every single word you wrote.” Amongst the subtle lyrical changes and heartwarming ambience produced by string instruments, the track ends with an audio clip of two individuals laughing right after Carpenter insists on recording their past selves for the future ahead, without a single clue of what awaits there. And through such an indefinite send-off, emails i can’t send isn’t just a draft anymore. It’s now an open letter to those who are ready to read it, embrace it, and live through it.
Although this is Sabrina Carpenter’s fifth studio album, it could be referred to as her actual debut. It takes on the role of reintroducing the singer to the world, and it does it in the most genuine way possible. It doesn’t sweep hurt under the rug and, in fact, welcomes the cathartic cleanse that can seem like the scariest thing sometimes.
Now, this is where Carpenter’s journey actually begins; 13 of her most personal stories have been sent. Only one question remains: are you ready to press the send button yourself?”.
I will finish off with AllMusic’s take on Sabrina Carpenter’s phenomenal emails i can’t send. One of the best of 2022, do go and seek it out when you can. I don’t think you even need t be a Pop fan to appreciate what Carpenter is saying. It is very accessible and varied. There was a lot of love for it:
“The fifth studio album from singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter, 2022's Emails I Can't Send is as charmingly ebullient as it is candid. Her first full-length release since moving to Island Records, the record builds nicely upon the upbeat dance-pop of her early work while also displaying her growing strength and honesty as a songwriter. It also finds her drawing inspiration from the classic singer/songwriter style of artists like Carly Simon and Carole King while fitting well alongside the contemporary work of artists like Conan Gray. Much of the album is loosely conceptualized around emails she wrote to herself. For example, the title track, "Emails I Can't Send," is a yearning piano ballad in which a daughter excoriates her father for his infidelity to her mother. Similarly, "Vicious" is a hooky, acoustic guitar-driven anthem in which Carpenter addresses her quiet anguish over a particularly toxic relationship. More upbeat is "Read Your Mind," in which she ruminates on a wishy-washy lover on a hooky track that evokes the sparkling disco-pop of the Cardigans. With Emails I Can't Send, Carpenter has crafted a record that reflects her emotional maturity five albums into her career, which also feels like a refreshing new start”.
An album that I was keen to spotlight and revisit, Sabrina Carpenter’s emails I can’t send confirms her as one of the best and brightest names in Pop. She actually released emails I can’t send fwd: this year. It contained some extra tracks that added more depth and story to the original album. I am interested to see where she heads for her sixth studio album. Having completed an international tour for the album, I am sure that she has been busy working on new material this year. In the meantime, go and listen to a superb album that ranks alongside…
THE best of last year.