I know this came out almost three weeks ago, but it's going to be 82 degrees in NYC today and it's fair to say that Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso” is currently in pole position to be this year's song of the summer. The sumptuous nu-disco tune has stuck with me, and if you have a peripheral awareness of the phrases “It's that me espresso” or “I'm working late/'Cause I'm a singer,” you'll realize it's also wormed its way into the brains of thousands of others.
That's part of what makes “Espresso” such a delusional pop song: It's so unselfconsciously weird. What do you mean It's that espresso? Why do you think I Mountain Dew it for you? Oh, you work late because you're a singer? This line is sung so matter-of-factly that it turns it into some ancient cosmic truth about the singers and the hours they keep. In this way 'Espresso' recalls the ESL language of so many '80s Italo-disco records, whose words evoke more sensation than meaning. But Carpenter also has a perfect turn of phrase with “Walked in and dream-came-true it for ya,” the kind of line most pop writers will spend their careers trying to find.
The score—produced by Julian Bunetta, who directed several One Direction songs—makes me think of an amped-up, sunny inversion of Carly Simon's 1981 hit.Why', which featured disco legends Nile Rodgers and Chic's Bernard Edwards on the dance floor. “Espresso” moves with the same uplifting reggae feel and we already know Carpenter she knows her way around a Carly Simon tune. Pop's disco revival is a little thin, but if you can pull it off with this much élan, that kind of wit, that unique bubbly and weird vibe, maybe it can only last one more summer.
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/sabrina-carpenter-espresso