Sabrina Carpenter: “Good Graces” Observe Evaluate

Sabrina Carpenter isn’t afraid to talk her thoughts. Her Polly Pocket persona may recommend she’s an easygoing lover, unbothered by her accomplice’s screwups, however don’t get snug. “Don’t mistake my good for naive,” she declares on “Good Graces,” a twinkly Miami bass-influenced spotlight from her new album Quick n’ Candy, issuing a easy warning to potential lovers: Don’t piss her off.

Behind Carpenter’s poised pop star façade, there’s at all times one thing slightly twisted ready to sneak up on you. Consider her supply of “motherfucker” on “Please Please Please,” sounding as tender and craving Dolly Parton on “Jolene”—and equally able to turning the tables. On “Good Graces,” Carpenter merges sugar with spice: She’s as fast to daydream about elevating a household as dropping your ass for the following man in line. There’s dashes of Harmful Lady-era Ariana Grande in her whispery vocal runs, and the schoolyard chant of “I gained’t give a fuck about you” recollects Erika de Casier’s work on NewJeans’ final EP. Simply bear in mind: It’s not an empty risk.