Sabrina Carpenter’s career has skyrocketed over the past year, which can be credited to many factors, including her ongoing tour and recent album, Short n’ Sweet. With that, her Christmas EP, Fruitcake – released last year – is sure to gain significant traction this year.
Fruitcake starts off strong by taking a Christmas spin on Carpenter’s hit single “Nonsense” with the song “A Nonsense Christmas.” The song is just as catchy as its original but with simple lyric changes like turning the lines “I’ll be honest / Lookin’ at you got me thinkin’ nonsense” into “You’re my wish list / Lookin’ at you got me thinking Christmas.”
Although it’s still early in the season, some of Carpenter’s holiday tracks have already started trending online.
Ironically, one of these tracks is “Is It New Year’s Yet?” – a song about wishing the holidays were over already. Outside of the pessimistic lyrics, it’s a fun, catchy pop song that fits in well with the rest of Carpenter’s discography.
“Is It New Year’s Yet” is the Christmas equivalent to “Espresso” and “Feather,” two of Carpenter’s most popular and recognizable tracks. With that potential, there is reason to believe the song will chart as the season progresses.
“Cindy Lou Who” takes a bit of a different approach than some of the other tracks. The song is slower than the other songs, as it details jealousy over “Cindy Lou Who,” a metaphor for an ex-lover’s new girlfriend. Carpenter emulates feelings of sadness and longing, repeating the lyrics, “Breaking my heart, ’tis the season, I guess.”
The idea of taking Cindy Lou Who, an innocent character from various adaptations of The Grinch, and contrasting it with the envy of the narrator is a unique take on the popular “jealous ex-girlfriend” trope that haunts all styles of music.
The unique visuals of the EP are further pushed by the music video for the song “Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do.” The video switches back and forth from clips depicting a perfect, cookie-cutter relationship to a current version of Carpenter, alone and reminiscing on the memories.
The cinematography makes the video feel like watching a Hallmark movie, with the couple shown going on basic and even cliched dates: ice skating, building gingerbread houses, and decorating the tree together. The outfits, however, make the music video feel more on brand for Carpenter, with lots of ribbons, ruffles, and dramatic pieces in her costumes.
All of these aspects combined add to the overall vibe of the EP and give it a fun and nostalgic style that stands out from other celebrity Christmas albums.
