REVIEW #1: 70/100

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Repressed Memories is the second studio album by the fast-rising global superstar Sabrina Carpenter. Considering her impressive level of success, it’d be easy to forget just how early in to her career Carpenter is but we’re still watching a popstar evolve before our eyes. The fact that there is still so much more to come from Sabrina Carpenter is exciting considering the quality of work she’s already releasing.

 

If this album is held up as a shining example of one thing, it should be its ability to create an accessible way of exploring mental health through catchy, easy-to-digest pop music. It’s a huge topic, but an incredibly relevant one, and it’s important to have artists like Carpenter not shying away from having these conversations. One of the biggest strengths of Repressed Memories is the way Carpenter is able to incorporate these themes without compromising on her talent for making great pop hits.

 

Just as committed as she is to her theme, Carpenter’s just as committed to an 80’s-inspired synth sound and it serves her well. It’s hardly new or experimental these days as far as pop goes, but it’s used well here. It helps to make the album feel even more cohesive. At certain times it may begin to feel a little repetitive, but a concise 10-track length prevents the album from getting stale.

 

While I’ve praised Carpenter’s commitment to a theme and a sound, to some it may also be the thing that holds the album back from its full potential. It’s not that it’s not done well, it’s just that it’s done consistently, meaning not a lot stands out as particularly surprising or challenging. I’d argue that Carpenter’s challenge moving forward is to make a few risky choices and try something new – we know this is what she can do (and do well) but she runs the risk of jumping up and down in the same spot should she not explore some new territory.

 

Two albums in to her career now, we can see a clear trajectory for Sabrina Carpenter. From ‘On My Mind’ to ‘Repressed Memories’ we see the singer who has a clear passion for combining themes of mental health with polished pop tracks in a way that doesn’t sacrifice one for the other. Is she at her best yet? No, but perhaps that’s the most intriguing part – there’s so much more to come.

 

Standout tracks: Energy, The Blame Game, Moonlight

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REVIEW #2: 78/100

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Few could have predicted where Sabrina Carpenter would’ve ended up after the release of her debut single last year. In the time since that quiet Friday, she has gone on to become one of the biggest artists in the world. Everything she touched turned to pure gold (or should we say platinum). Number one singles, critical acclaim, awards, and the unwavering attention of the world followed her everywhere she went, putting all eyes on the follow up to her iconic debut. Repressed Memories has arrived as an initially planned re-release of her debut that took its own form as a stand alone release. Billed as a sister album that approaches the themes of mental health through a more reflective lens, the album promises to build a world true to its creator, but does it do so successfully or as successfully as her debut? 

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The album opens with “Turn the Page” introducing immediately to the album’s central theme and the stylistic shift. Inspired by the synthwave sound that has populated recent releases from artists such as Kelly Clarkson and TRNT, the song is a throwback sound with a modern sensibility and it works far better than you’d imagine. Though one could say this style is beginning to grow stale, Sabrina and her producers do just enough new with it to keep it interesting. Lyrically the song is far more focused than most of her debut, sticking with a central book metaphor through to the end. It’s well put together and clearly means a great deal to it’s writer. Up next is the lead single “Breathe” and what is there to be said that hasn’t been said about it already? It’s a sleek and incredibly well executed track that washes over you like a wave. Sabrina’s lyrics are once again very open and honest, though perhaps not as finely tuned as on the album’s opener. 

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“Energy” from a production standpoint is the best song we’ve gotten so far. The main synth line is addictive and carries through the song with a swagger all it’s own. Lyrically the song continues the same theme of the last two, though nowhere near as tightly as it’s predecessors. The verses are the best aspect of the song, their structure leading to a memorable flow that’s kept up through the song. They are let down however by an incredibly weak chorus and a similarly weak post-chorus. The production is an easy win but the song’s central sections (the aforementioned chorus/post-chorus) hold it back from being one of the stronger tracks the album has to offer. “Lost (In My Mind)” flips the script from the previous track by offering stronger lyrics than it does production. Lyrically the song is more shallow than one might expect from Sabrina, but for what they lack in true depth they make up for in focus. She knows what it is she wants to get across and she stays consistent with how she’s choosing to say it. She could have benefitted from going a little deeper but it doesn’t hurt the song too badly. Stargate’s production however feels phoned in when compared to the stronger production moments. It’s repetitive to a fault, leaving the song feeling like it never quite goes anywhere soundwise. There’s not much in the way of dynamics either, the beat finding itself stationary and in one place from beginning to end. Not a bad song by any means but, like it’s predecessor, it isn’t one of the strongest offerings here. 

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“Outside” picks things back up nicely. Lyrically the song continues to bounce around the same ideas as the previous four tracks but the perspective she takes makes it feel new. Sung about looking at herself from the outside, Sabrina reveals just how aware she is of what holds her back. It’s a sobering perspective to take and a unique one to match. Production wise the song is the strongest yet, with a double synth hook that bops and weaves in and out, slinking over a perfectly crafted beat. The producers of this track put Staragate to shame, leaving the song feel purposeful and energized sonically, a perfect contrast to the sombre lyricism. “Save Me” is the most brutally honest lyrical offering yet, leaving a lasting impression on the listener about exactly Sabrina’s mindset. While we’re still kept at arm’s length in terms of depth, here it isn’t so much about diving deep as it is letting things come to the surface. The song isn’t meant to be a character study, plumbing the depths of Sabrina’s sadness, but it is rather an opportunity for Sabrina to bring these things up from the bottom to breach the surface. It’s honest and welcomingly so. The production is well rounded but doesn’t over announce itself so as to not distract from it’s lyrics. It didn’t need to be complicated production wise and the person behind the track, Steph Jones, clearly knows this. The track is a particular highlight of the album to be sure. 

“Dancing Through the Darkness” lands as one of the album’s best, if not THE best, track. The production is simply stunning, blending a strong beat with traditional instrumentation. The piano and orchestral through line is simply gorgeous and one of the best crafted melodic lines pop music has seen this year. Lyrically the song is also more than up to the task, continuing to sound as if Sabrina’s confessing everything she’s kept hidden and locked away. Again, this is not a deep dive into her soul, but her soul coming out for the world to see. The song sticks with you long after it ends both as an earworm and as an emotive piece of beautiful honesty and darkness. A genuinely stunning track. “The Blame Game” is similarly stunning, dealing this time not with her sadness but the concept of how much ownership we have over the state we find ourselves in. It’s a unique approach to a song like this, but it pays off. Sabrina’s conflicted feelings of responsibility and innocence collide to create a feeling that all who’ve been in that position understand. The production is simple and somewhat sparse (until an orchestra comes in) but it is exactly as it needs to be. The song is more grounded and it’s production needed to be as well. This is another case of the producer understanding the song’s needs and delivering perfectly on those needs. Another stunning track. 

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“Burning” doesn’t quite measure up to it’s two predecessors. It isn’t a bad track by any means, but it feels derivative and for the first time like we’re walking back into somewhere we’ve been before. Up to this point, though the songs all dealt with similar subject matter it still felt as if we were moving forward, but this feels like something of a stop and something of a loop around to somewhere we’ve already been. It doesn’t say much new or add much more to the table but instead reinforces concepts laid out elsewhere. The production is similarly not as identifiable and free standing, blending in somewhat to what has come before it. It cannot be called poor, or even disappointing, but it isn’t a standout, landing firmly in the middle of the pack. “Moonlight”, the album’s closer, is another solid addition but it is not one of the strongest tracks here and can leave you somewhat unfulfilled as a closer. Lyrically, the song upends the darker edge of the nine previous tracks, leaning into something more hopeful. That is not a bad thing, but it happens quite suddenly. We make the jump from pain to hope in the snap of a finger. There isn’t any run up to this moment of release and it as a result doesn’t feel as cathartic for the listener as it may feel for it’s creator. Still, the production is more than up to the task, giving us a dense soundscape and more great synth work. It pairs well with it’s lyrics, but it doesn’t swing so dramatically in a different tonal direction as the lyrics do, still sounding consistent with the nine other tracks. 

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Repressed Memories manages to avoid the sophomore slump that befalls countless artists, but it also doesn’t exactly surpass it’s predecessor along the way. The good news for Sabrina is that it isn’t a step down, but the bad news is that it isn’t a step forward. The album is on par with her debut, but this does come across as partly the plan. It is billed as a sister work for a reason and it’s important to remember it’s origins as a reissue of her debut. The album feels cut from the same cloth as On My Mind but it isn’t tied so tightly to it that it has no identity of its own. The sound shift is a welcome one, though your mileage with it depends heavily on whether or not you’ve grown tired of the 80s inspired sound. The production is solid throughout, though the Stargate helmed tracks do tend to not hit the mark as well as the others do. Lyrically the album presents growth as things are much more focused and tight than on Sabrina’s debut. Still, this focus does sometime lead to songs feeling like they don’t propel us forward as much as they should and there are several ideas that are repeated across the tracklist. 

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All in all, it’s hard to not be satisfied by the end product as a whole. Sabrina’s stronghold on the industry set her up for failure, but she doesn’t fail nor does she stumble. She didn’t move forward by leaps and bounds, but she didn’t fall down the ladder of success either. The album is a well made, well thought out addition to her discography and pairs very nicely with what came before it. Sabrina’s got all the room in the world to continue experimenting and trying new things, and one hopes she does on her next release whatever form it takes. But, for now, it’s a perfectly pleasant experience to sit with Sabrina on her journey where she is now. The album meets expectations and that is more than many can say when it comes to a follow up to something as monumental as On My Mind.

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