Growing pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter released her new Christmas extended play (EP) with “fruitcake” on November 17th with seven riveting songs. The EP covers all ranges of holiday music, from
jolly Christmas jingles to sad snowy day songs to lovesick romantic music. Carpenter takes listeners through a rollercoaster of emotions, as she tells the emotional story of a Christmas-time breakup, from the happy to the sad to the bittersweet ending.
Most of the songs have a happy Christmas jingle in the background, giving it the perfect feeling for this time of the year. The opening song “A Nonsense Christmas” is a holiday remix of her single “Nonsense.” I found myself singing the lyrics of “Nonsense” instead of her new lyrics. It is my least favorite of the album
because it felt like she was trying to get the same publicity for this song that “Nonsense” attracted. This song feels a little out of place with the rest of
the EP, where she talks about her progression in a relationship, because “A Nonsense Christmas”
is just a Christmas song. The song “buy me presents” is an upbeat song with a Christmas jingle in the background. It is like most romantic Christmas songs and has a catchy ring to it. Like Carpenter, the song is witty and fun. I like how the allusion to Santa Claus makes the song more lighthearted and funny.
The position of the two songs “santa doesn’t know you like I do” and “cindy lou who” completely contrast each other.
The song “cindy lou who” is about Carpenter’s boyfriend cheating on her with Cindy Lou but Carpenter was just lamenting about how close she is with her boyfriend in “santa doesn’t know you like I do.”
I think “cindy lou who” is the slowest and most heartbreaking song, though relatable if you go through a breakup near this time. The next song, “is it new years yet,” brings back the Christmas jingle and is more
upbeat than the song before.
After getting over her breakup, the singer now anticipates the New Year and the joys that come with leaving the love-in-fested Christmas time. This is also the only time she mentions the album’s name in any of the songs. I don’t think she meant for the title of the EP to reference the sweet taste of fruitcake but rather the symbol it holds for Christmas.
Fruitcake is a common Christmas gift and the title fits because her EP is similar; it isn’t exactly what you would typically expect a Christmas EP to be, but it still does Christmas music justice.
The song “white xmas,” ends the EP with nostalgic memories of classic Christmas songs. There are combinations of iconic Christmas phrases sprinkled throughout the song.
She sings the first line of jingle bells at the end as well. It is soft and brings a good closing to the EP. I was expecting most of the songs in the EP to be like this one, but the story she builds was a pleasant surprise.
Unlike most albums, Carpenter takes you through a story in this EP, rather than just having individual, randomly placed songs on an album.
Carpenter’s vocals throughout the album show her range; she doesn’t sing in one exact genre. The differences in style between the songs show how she has developed, especially since the beginning of her career.
My favorite is “buy me presents” because it is upbeat and witty, but everyone can find a song that they enjoy on this EP. When listening to the EP as a whole, you’ll feel a wide range of emotions, and each song is perfect on its own. The EP is more than just a basic Christmas album.