A pop record with country, folk, disco, bubblegum, rock and R&B influences, Short n' Sweet was produced by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Jack Antonoff.

Two singles, "Espresso" and "Please Please Please", preceded the album's release; both topped the Billboard Global 200 chart and exposed Carpenter to wider commercial success.

As part of gratitude for the awards, she released a deluxe edition of the album with five bonus tracks, including a duet version of "Please Please Please" with Dolly Parton, on February 14, 2025.

In 2022, Sabrina Carpenter released her fifth studio album, Emails I Can't Send, after signing with Island Records.

[1][2] The album found moderate commercial success with its deluxe edition single, "Feather", topping the US Pop Airplay chart and became her highest-charting track at the time on the Billboard Hot 100.

[4] From August 24, 2023, to March 9, 2024, Carpenter also served as an opening act for Taylor Swift on selected South American, Australian, and Asian dates of the Eras Tour.

[6] In February 2024, speaking with Maya Hawke for Interview, Carpenter expressed her excitement about her new music and said that she would be exploring more genres as she did with her last album.

[38] Critics have observed creative influences of Taylor Swift,[48][36] Dolly Parton,[36][49] Kacey Musgraves,[48][47] and Ariana Grande on the album's composition.

The Independent's Helen Brown,[44] Variety's Jem Aswad,[36] Slate's Carl Wilson,[57] and Billboard's Jason Lipshutz considered the album an artistic evolution for Carpenter after her breakthrough with Emails I Can't Send, and praised its versatile yet cohesive sound, confident lyricism, and mainstream appeal.

[58] The Times' Victoria Segal and The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick regarded Short n' Sweet as a "smart" pop record that masquerades itself as a frothy mainstream release; McCormick elaborated, "Carpenter can come across as a slightly glib pop comedian for disillusioned Tinder addicts" in the album, even though "there are emotional counterweights in the clever songcraft".

[42][38] A few critics felt the album was an artistically safe work engineered for listeners' tastes, while others lauded it as an authentic portrayal of Carpenter's wit.

Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times and El Hunt of Evening Standard opined, in contrast to the risky and "challenging" music from Carpenter's peers in 2024, Short n' Sweet is a breezy, enjoyable and "serviceable" collection of songs.

[41][48] Tanatat Khuttapan of The Line of Best Fit felt the album is "on trend", catering to the audiences' affinity for subject relatability, "memeable catchphrases" and punchlines.

[49] On the other hand, McCormick,[38] Slant Magazine's Charles Lyon-Burt,[59] and Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield named Carpenter's humor the album's most remarkable trait.

[60] Pitchfork's critic Quinn Moreland labelled Short n' Sweet as refreshing escapism "in a pop landscape recently plagued by self-seriousness and a tiresome obsession with authenticity", admiring the album's "diamond-sharp" humor.

[62] In unfavorable reviews, Emily Bootle of i dubbed Short n' Sweet a "horny" album lacking in emotion, integrity, and "organic essence".

[63] Sputnikmusic criticized the album as a disappointing, "incredibly mediocre" release from Carpenter, finding the racy lyrics "weird and uncomfortable".

[97][98] As of September 2024, Short n' Sweet has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), marking this achievement as a first for any of her albums.