“How does the vocal melody fit the chords? It kind of… doesn’t”: A music professor breaks down the “song of the summer“, Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso

There’s an emerging consensus that Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is going to be 2024’s song of the summer. What makes it such a bop? Let’s find out!

There are a lot of alternate versions of the track out there: the extended “Espressooooo” version, the sped up “Double Shot” version, and my personal favorite, the slowed down “Decaf” version. The instrumental is called “On Vacation”, and the acapella is called “Mochapella”. Somebody in Island Records’ marketing department was very caffeinated that day.