fruitcake EP Review

With it already being December (what.), I wanted to go back and look at Sabrina Carpenters Holiday EP 'fruitcake' and see whether or not it is a holiday classic or not.

>> Introduction <<

Sabrina released her holiday EP 'fruitcake' on November 17th of last year, and despite all of the rapid success Sabrina has had this year, I still remember quite of bit of attention being given to this EP when it came out. Despite that, I'm not seeing a lot of people talking about this project this holiday season even though Sabrina has exploded in popularity in the last year. This EP has a total of 6 songs, and the tracklist has the following songs:

1. A Nonsense Christmas

2. buy me presents

3. santa doesn't know you like i do

4. cindy lou who

5. is it new years yet?

6. white xmas

Because this EP only has 6 songs, it is kind of a short listen. But on the other hand, I don't think a full Christmas album would have made a lot of sense for Sabrina at the time. Now that we've covered some basic info about fruitcake, lets get into the songs themselves!

>> a nonsense christmas <<

If your a Carpenter, you'll know that this song is a remix/alternate version of her single 'Nonsense'. This song is almost a 1 to 1 recreation of the song, with a few changes to the production in order to give it more holiday cheer, and completely rewritten lyrics. This song is actually technically a single for this EP, with it releasing a year before 'fruitcake' in December 2022. Because of that, A Nonsense Christmas is probably the most well-known song from this project, but I actually wouldn't consider it the best song from it. Since its a recreation of Nonsense, it feels kind of repetitive and strange to listen to it. Not to mention the song is only 2 minutes and 30 seconds long, making it a really fast listen. Even though the original version of Nonsense is also pretty short, this was a good opportunity to extend the song since it is a remix. That's not to say I don't like this song, but I feel like there are more songs on this project that have a lot more substance than this one.

>> santa doesn't know you like i do <<

This song might be one of, if not, my favorite song from this holiday collection! It's not a crazy departure from other music Sabrina has put out, but it has a hint of that 80's Christmas music nostalgia. Like I just said, it's nothing special compared to her other music, but those synths and chimes and bells just give it such a special and nostalgic sound. The lyrics aren't anything to write home about, as they're pretty simple. But after all, it is a holiday song and I didn't expect anything deep in that department. The song is basically just about being in love with someone who you feel you know more than anyone else. The lyrics and music make it a cheery but melancholic song about longing for someone who maybe doesn't feel the same about you, or you feel like you deserve a relationship with them more than others. Because the holidays is seen as a pretty romantic season (ice skating, watching lights, baking, family dinners, etc.), it adds an extra layer to this song where the singer is implying that they will spend most of this season alone because they don't have a partner for it. That's a feeling that a lot of people experience, and this song is the perfect melancholic encapsulation of being in such a cheerful time of year, yet feeling completely alone in so many ways. For that reason, it's definitely a highlight of this collection.

>> cindy lou who <<

Unlike the last two songs I've talked about, this one isn't your typical holiday song. It's a sad ballad instead of a cheery little holiday song. It's about having to move on after a relationship and watch you're old partner find someone new who seems so much more perfect than you could have ever been for them. Self comparisons and realizing that even through what little information you have about this new person, you cant help but feel like your old partner was simply out to replace you with someone more pretty and funny. In actuality though, we all know it's irrational to think this way because you never can get the full picture from looking from the outside. There's not much more to the song than that, and because of that, it isn't really a song I listen to outside of the EP. While it is a good song, it lacks a lot of typical attributes that makes a song a holiday song. And to be honest, Sabrina has other ballads that I personally find better. Since it's competing against all of those other songs, it doesn't really get a lot of plays from me. That doesn't mean it's a bad song, just nothing to really write home about when we consider that it's not really a true holiday song and how many other ballads Sabrina has put out that I think have more to offer.

>> Final Thoughts <<

To wrap things up, lets talk about the songs that I didn't get to go in detail about. 'buy me presents' and 'is it new years yet?' are good songs but they are also pretty surface-level. There wasn't much to write about them, even though I do like both songs. A simply holiday song is never a bad thing, in fact I actually think simplicity is what makes holiday music so good! 'white xmas' is just a cover of the holiday classic "White Christmas" that everyone knows so well. Since its a cover, there isn't a lot to say about it other than I think she did a good job reimagining the song and the vocals were very good in it. To summarize my thoughts on this EP, I think it is pretty solid for a holiday EP, especially considering the fact that most people don't tend to take holiday projects like these very seriously. And while yes, most of the music is surface level, that's not to say that the EP didn't have anything going for it. The best holiday music is the kind that brings back memories while also creating new ones, and I can confidently say that I will probably be re-listening to this EP every Christmas season. So while 'fruitcake' may not be recognized as holiday classic by most people, I think that at the very least, it's a classic to any Sabrina fan.

Rating: 8/10

TLDR; Well executed Holiday EP with lots of fun songs for the season that are similar to past works and thus have some songs that aren't anything to write home about. Despite that, 'fruitcake' still manages to have a lot of that fun Sabrina charm and has songs that slot in perfectly on any holiday playlist.

Thank you for reading and happy holidays!

~ Joey

o<| :)