Former Disney actress turned pop star Sabrina Carpenter drops the final single before her upcoming fifth studio album emails i can’t send on July 15th and it’s every piece of anger and angst that we need right now… not to mention an it’s absolute tune for the summer.
Over the past academic year, I’ve covered Sabrina’s releases in preparation for the album, and finally, her new album is fast-approaching. But the last single just before, has not disappointed. Vicious is a raw, angry and honest pop-rock anthem about the aftermath of a failed relationship, feeling played and taken advantage.
Co-written with Amy Allen, a frequent collaborator with Julia Michaels (just like Sabrina), the song doesn’t hold back in its lyrics. From verse to chorus to bridge to outtro, Sabrina both vocally and lyrically packs a punch and proves to the world she’s not someone to continue overlooking.
Sabrina teased this song on TikTok, but differently from her previous songs. she just used the same 6/7s clip over and over again to increase the excitement and anticipation for the song. For the two weeks before the release all we knew of the song was “You’re lucky I’m a private person / I’ve quietly carried your burden // everyone thinks you’re an angel / but sh*t I would probably use different wording.” This was definitely a perfectly chosen clip of the song that allowed fans to encapsulate the meaning of the song, and what was coming towards them.
To me, and so many others, the crowning glory of this song is the bridge. The production on the vocal, the drums, the electric guitar and the punchy, strong, angry lyrics are definitely set to be a highlight when this song is brought to a live setting. Overall, it’s been the perfect way to round off the variety of genres in preparation for the album release.
Vicious is out now via Island Records, and you can watch the lyrics video below:
