Fruitcake (Sabrina Carpenter EP)
| Fruitcake | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | November 17, 2023 | |||
| Genre | Christmas | |||
| Length | 15:46 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer |
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| Sabrina Carpenter chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fruitcake | ||||
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Fruitcake is the second extended play (EP) and first Christmas themed record by American singer Sabrina Carpenter. It was released by Island Records on November 17, 2023. It was produced by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.
Background and release
[edit]Prior to signing with Island Records in 2021, Carpenter released various Christmas songs including "Christmas the Whole Year Round" which reached number 17 on the US Holiday Digital Song Sales chart.[1][2] In December 2022, following the success of her fifth studio album Emails I Can't Send, Carpenter released a Christmas remix of her single "Nonsense", titled "A Nonsense Christmas".[3]
A year later, on November 8, 2023, Carpenter announced that she would be releasing her first Christmas-themed EP,[4] and revealed its track list through a post on her social media accounts.[5][6] The EP was released on November 17, 2023.[7][8] On her website, the announcement followed the same aesthetic of her album Emails I Can't Send (2022), being presented in a designed email-style.[8]
Music and lyrics
[edit]The EP begins with "A Nonsense Christmas", a holiday remix of her viral single "Nonsense".[9][10] Throughout the song, Carpenter sings puns about Charles Dickens, Christmas Tree trimmings, and was described as "goofy and unserious".[10] Carpenter also changed the lyrics to the song to match the Christmas-theme with lyrics "Sounds like bleh-blah-blee" changed to "Sounds like ho ho ho".[11] [12] Carpenter also recorded a new outro for the song.[10] "Buy Me Presents" follows with similar Christmas-themed wordplay and was described as a "bright and bouncing tongue in cheek love song".[10][13] The song features a saxophone-solo against a "smooth atmospheric production" and is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie soundtrack.[13][14]
"Santa Doesn't Know You Like I Do" is a ballad and shifts the mood of the EP.[13] Described as a sad love song,[15] and featured a spoken word bridge which was described as a callback to Carpenter's 2022 single "Skinny Dipping".[13] The production of the song was called a "juxtaposition between the snare kicks and gentle production" which works towards creating a sombre atmosphere.[13] This is followed by "Cindy Lou Who" which is named after the How the Grinch Stole Christmas character of the same name.[10] The song tells the story of a heartbreak leading to the singer questioning her feelings about her ex-lover's new girlfriend.[10][9]
Carpenter follows this with a pop-infused song "Is It New Years Yet?" where she wants to "skip past Christmas because everyone has a partner to spend" it with.[15] The song was compared to "Dance the Night",[15] and sings that "Fruitcake just makes [her] sick".[13] The EP closes with a cover of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" titled "White Xmas".[13][8] Carpenter's vocals were called a highlight of the song, being described as an outro rather than a full-song.[13] The song also interpolates "Jingle Bells".[13]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [16] |
Upon release, the EP was well received by critics. Alex Hopper of American Songwriter complimented Carpenter for not relying exclusively on traditional Christmas songs and for writing original material.[17] Amy Britton of The Indiependent wrote that the record is "a sugary sweet musical feast" and that, although it was full of the "usual Christmas song stereotypes", it kept the artist's essence.[18]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Nonsense Christmas" |
|
| 2:33 |
| 2. | "Buy Me Presents" |
| Ryan | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Santa Doesn't Know You Like I Do" |
| Bunetta | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Cindy Lou Who" |
| Ryan | 2:01 |
| 5. | "Is It New Years Yet?" |
| Ryan | 2:38 |
| 6. | "White Xmas" | Irving Berlin | Ryan | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 15:46 | |||
Note
- ^[v] signifies a vocal producer
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
- Sabrina Carpenter – lead vocals
- Julian Bunetta – programming (tracks 1, 3), background vocals (1); bass, drums, keyboards, percussion (3)
- Steph Jones – background vocals (track 1)
- John Ryan – bass, guitar, keyboards, programming (tracks 2, 4–6); synthesizer (2, 4, 5), drums (2, 5, 6), percussion (5), organ (6)
- Leon Silva – saxophone (track 2)
- Rob Moose – viola, violin (tracks 4, 6)
Technical
- Nathan Dantzler – mastering
- Julian Bunetta – mixing, engineering (track 1)
- Rob Kinelski – mixing (tracks 2–6)
- Jeff Gunnell – engineering (tracks 2–5)
- Rob Moose – string arrangement (tracks 4, 6)
- Eli Heisler – mixing assistance (tracks 2–6)
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[19] | 63 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 121 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[21] | 19 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | November 17, 2023 | Island | [22] | |
| Various | December 6, 2024 | Island | [23][24] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Spence, Sade (December 21, 2019). "Here Are 10 Celebrities With Original Christmas Songs You Didn't Know Existed". Elite Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Celebrates the 'Hoelidays' With 'A Nonsense Christmas'". Billboard. December 7, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Martin, Annie (November 17, 2023). "Sabrina Carpenter releases Fruitcake holiday EP". UPI. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Pointer, Flisadam (November 13, 2023). "Sabrina Carpenter's Fruitcake EP's Sweet Tracklist Reveal Is Looking To Spice Up The Festive Holiday Season". Uproxx. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Wants You to Buy Her Presents on Nostalgic Holiday EP Fruitcake". KS95. November 8, 2023. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Wants You to Buy Her Presents on Nostalgic Holiday EP Fruitcake". Rolling Stone. November 17, 2023. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c Boisvert, Lauren (November 9, 2023). "Sabrina Carpenter Announces Holiday EP Fruitcake: 'I Have a Sweet Treat for You'". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Gruber, Becs (December 14, 2023). "Album Review: Sabrina Carpenter's fruitcake is certainly a "Chrismash"". Brig News. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Review: Sabrina Carpenter delivers evergreen holiday hits with 'fruitcake'". Washington Square News. November 21, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Tate, Sarah (December 9, 2023). "Sabrina Carpenter Turns One Of Her Biggest Songs Into A Fun Christmas Tune". Z100. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "Nonsense Lyrics (Genius)".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Healy, Millie Mae (November 21, 2023). "'Fruitcake' Review: Sabrina Carpenter Takes A Creative Bite of Christmas". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Ahad, Halima (December 13, 2023). "EP Review: Sabrina Carpenter – fruitcake". Redbrick. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kemppainen, Kiera (December 4, 2023). "Sabrina Carpenter brings originality to Christmas music with fruitcake". The Central Trend. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Collar, Matt (November 17, 2023). "fruitcake – Sabrina Carpenter". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Hopper, Alex (November 17, 2023). "Review: Sabrina Carpenter Brings Her Own Kind of Holiday Spirit with fruitcake". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Britton, Amy (November 17, 2023). "EP Review: fruitcake // Sabrina Carpenter". Indiependent.co.uk. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "FRUITCAKE / VINYL / PRE-ORDER". Sabrina Carpenter | Official Store. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "fruitcake CD - Sabrina Carpenter Official Store". Sabrina Carpenter | Official Store. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
- ^ "fruitcake cassette - Sabrina Carpenter Official Store". Sabrina Carpenter | Official Store. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
