It also became a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Carpenter's first top ten single on the chart.
[1] She teased a new song, ahead of her performance at the festival, via billboards that read: "She's gonna make you come... to her Coachella set!".
[2] After a concert in July 2023 at the Zénith Paris in France, Carpenter spent a few days in the village of Chailland, where she recorded some new tracks at Flow Studios.
Speaking to American magazine Vogue, she stated that the song is about "seeing femininity as your super power and embracing the confidence of being 'that bitch'".
[10] Music journalists described the song's genre as pop, funk, and dance,[11][12][13][14] encompassing synth-pop, electropop, disco, post-disco, nu-disco, and bubblegum.
[24][25] Vulture highlighted the song's catchy hook, referring to it as an "instant earworm", while also appreciating its "whimsical" lyrical approach.
[27] Similarly, Rolling Stone lauded the song's "irresistible rhythm" and "clever" lyrics, emphasizing Carpenter's distinctive flair for storytelling.
[28] Despite only being released in April, NME stated "Espresso" quickly became a substantial hit in Carpenter's career and one of her signature songs.
[50] Vulture writer Justin Curto consulted linguistics professor Ekkarat Ruanglertsilp who suggested "that’s not grammatically correct, right?".
[63][64] "Espresso" topped the Irish Singles Chart in its third week, becoming Carpenter's first chart-topping hit in Ireland and first top-ten song there.
[87] An accompanying music video for "Espresso", directed by Dave Meyers, was filmed at Castaic Lake, California on March 29, 2024, and released on April 12, 2024.
[88][89] About the video, Carpenter expressed: "Since the day I heard the song, I saw a beach atmosphere—and more specifically this kind of old school [and] modern environment.
Carpenter retrieves his wallet and pulls his gold credit card out of it, and as she makes land, she meets with some other girls and engages in various activities such as reading a book, receiving massages and pedicures, and sunbathing while being fanned by palm fronds.
They continue to party together, and the car is eventually filled with water as Carpenter and one of the boys lounge in it like a hot tub.
[89] Carpenter performed "Espresso" live for the first time at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held on April 12.
Grande parodied "Espresso" as part of a bridesmaids troupe, where she deliberately sang off key, prompting Carpenter to react on Instagram, posting "Very nice and on pitch".
[104][105] In December 2024, Carpenter collaborated with coffee and doughnut company Dunkin' Donuts to release an iced beverage, "Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shakin' Espresso", named in honor of the song.