Belinda Lloyd
Musician and actress Sabrina Carpenter has released a deluxe edition of her 2022 album emails i can’t send, which has been cleverly named emails i can’t send fwd:.
Sabrina released her fifth album last summer, and after teasing social media, the artist revealed via an iconic email-style Instagram post that an extended version of the album was to be released on March 17th. The deluxe edition contains four new songs: opposite, Feather, Lonesome, and things i wish you said.
Vulnerability
Sabrina’s confessional style of writing suits her beautifully in this album, as she revealed that the lyrics were actually conceived in an email. In her openly honest interview with Vogue, Sabrina revealed that the album began as email drafts that she felt she couldn’t send during the pandemic.
“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,” the artist explained.
“raw honesty found in her lyrics”
She commented on her writing process and the raw honesty found in her lyrics with Rolling Stone: “There were all these things that I wasn’t afraid to say when I was writing an email that I knew no one was ever going to read that I was like, “Oh these are my unfiltered thoughts,” as opposed to when you go into a studio and there’s all these expectations for what you’re supposed to leave the studio with.”
Range
Sabrina provides an abundance of Gen Z references that her fans can relate to. From mixed signals, making excuses, unread texts, and lying to your therapist, Sabrina covers it all. Further into the album, however, a more timeless and hopeless romantic side is unveiled as an ode to her lost loved ones.
“a variety of vibes are explored through each of the tracks”
The album demonstrates a strong ability to fit any genre. It ranges from jazzy and groovy to melodic and funky, to even a country spin. A variety of vibes are explored through each of the tracks, including piano instrumentals, layered harmonic melodies, pop rock and disco pop.
me everytime i listen to emails i cant send fwd by sabrina carpenter pic.twitter.com/YhJEJfRkK5
— luke (@lookinsabrina) March 22, 2023
‘opposite’
“strong melodic pop ballad”
The first of the four extended tracks is the strong melodic pop ballad opposite, where Sabrina confronts her emotions after she sees her ex with a new partner who is the complete opposite of herself.
Sabrina asks herself whether it is a good or bad thing that the new girl looks nothing like her: “If you wanted brown eyes, I coulda got contacts”.
The singer soon becomes offended, as she realises that her ex may have never wanted her in the first place: “Can’t really tell, should I be tryna take it as a compliment? It’s kinda feelin’ like the opposite. She looks nothing like me, so why do you look so happy?”.
Sabrina starts by suggesting how she could’ve changed into the person her ex wanted. She soon comes to terms with the fact that this would never be successful, as it is not Sabrina that they wanted at all.
‘Feather’
Feather provides beautifully candid and relatable lyrics for her fans experiencing grief from the loss of a relationship or friendship. The disco-dimensional track encourages the listener to move on as she sings about how she feels liberated: “I feel so much lighter like a feather with you out my life”.
The early verses of the song talks about her ex’s mixed signals: “I’m your dream come true when it’s on a platter for you, Then you pull back when I try to make plans more than two hours in advance”. Here, Sabrina expresses how her ex wanted to be handed things in the relationship without putting in any effort, and that they weren’t interested in committing to her in the future (only two hours in advance), suggesting that they weren’t intending to build a long-lasting relationship with her and only there for a physical one: “You fit every stereotype/ Send a pic”.
“will have fans playing it on repeat for its upbeat and catchy rhythm”
The breezy track celebrates Sabrina finally being free from an ex and will have fans playing it on repeat for its upbeat and catchy rhythm.
‘lonesome’
Lonesome provides an ominous acoustic country ballad that casts reminders of singer Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, as the artist addresses an ex-lover who never put herself first: “I wonder how many things you think about before, before you get to me”.
“captivating Western track”
In this captivating Western track, Sabrina reveals how she feels hurt and insecure that her ex was probably thinking of someone else when they were together as she wonders whether they actually liked being with her, instead of simply being used: “Why were you somewhere else when you were next to me? […] Tell me I was more than just a decent opportunity”.
The lyrics mirror Taylor Swift’s 2019 track ME!, which says: “And you can’t spell ‘awesome’ without ‘me'”. Sabrina’s record has a more melancholic tone: “You can’t spell ‘lonesome’ without ‘me'”. Sabrina’s hushed and tuneful tones meshes well with the acoustic cowboy vibes of the song, as she confronts another heartbreak.
‘Things I Wish You Said’
The final 17th track on the album is where Sabrina tackles the issues and problems of an old relationship: “I think about these things at night before I fall asleep Things I wish you said to me”. She ponders what could have been done differently to change the outcome. The song comes to terms with the fact that the relationship is over and that they need to move on, a sentiment that will be relatable for some fans.
She lists things she wished her ex-lover had said that she knows they’ll never say: “”Sorry that I pulled the ‘it’s not you, it’s me One day, I’ll make sure you get a real apology”. The acoustic guitar paired with Sabrina’s hushed vocals makes a perfect melody that will have fans sobbing.
Sabrina is currently touring in North America and is soon making her way overseas. Her European tour kicks off in Dublin, Ireland on June 11th and I can’t be more excited to be seeing her in Manchester! Tickets and dates for the rest of her Europe tour can be found here.
Featured image courtesy of Ann H via Pexels. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Belinda June
Belinda is an English Literature graduate from Bristol and Durham. She currently works in education and aspires to work in the creative arts. In her spare time, Belinda is an avid reader, painter, and writer, working on creative fiction, while also an Entertainment Writer and Twitter Editor for Empoword.