Another chapter of the Sabrina Carpenter – Joshua Bassett – Olivia Rodrigo love triangle has been announced as Carpenter released her new single, Skin, on Friday, Jan. 22. Although Carpenter intended to speak about her haters in the new song, the timing is seemingly coincidental, especially since Rodrigo released her debut single, Drivers License a few weeks prior, spreading a wildfire of backlash onto Carpenter’s social media feed. 

Rodrigo’s song received plenty of positive feedback, and even a stamp of approval from no other than worldwide sensation Taylor Swift, one of Rodrigo’s musical inspirations, who responded to Rodrigo’s success by saying “that’s my baby and I’m so proud.” However, Rodrigo fans have turned the billboard hit song into a mystery case, deciphering every last word, developing conspiracy theories, and linking Carpenter’s name in the middle of it all.

The love triangle began on Friday, Jan. 8, when Rodrigo first released Drivers License. The song debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and broke Spotify’s record for most streams of a song in a single week. The heartbreak anthem tells the story of an inconsolable teenager mourning over her ex who is now with someone who she envies. Although her lyrics “And you’re probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She’s so much older than me / She’s everything I’m insecure about,” does not provide any details, fans were quick to hypothesize the meaning of the lyrics. Social media collectively placed their bets on Rodrigo’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star, Bassett, and his unofficial relationship with Carpenter.

However, despite the drama, when Carpenter posted a teaser of her new song on Thursday, Jan. 21, my heart skipped a beat. Carpenter dominated 2020, performing on the Broadway musical production of Mean Girls, starring in movies such as Clouds and Work It, and releasing music for both films. Skin reminded me of Exhale, a song on Carpenter’s fourth studio album, Singular Act: II. The soft-spoken verses are a Carpenter specialty, and are seen frequently throughout her music. She is able to find a balance between whispering and projecting while maintaining a steady emotion throughout. 

Although I enjoyed listening to this song, I can’t deny that this wasn’t Carpenter’s best song. Carpenter’s use of similes and metaphors in her previous two duo albums, Singular: Act 1 and Singular: Act 2 was stellar. The most notable simile, relating herself to the Mona Lisa, was extremely cunning. In Skin, Carpenter makes a reference to haters getting under her skin, which although is not a terrible metaphor, it’s a little bland compared to her previous music. In addition, the overuse of the metaphor makes it a hard song to listen to on repeat. Perhaps it would be best fitted into a playlist with an abundance amount of songs. Don’t get me wrong, the song was exquisite, but when it comes to Carpenter’s music, I tend to put it on a higher spectrum, due to how refined of an artist she is.

Unfortunately, when it comes to drama, social media always finds a way to overstep. Carpenter released such a beautiful song and it’s a shame that everyone is stomping on it and sending it backlash. No doubt, if Carpenter were to release this song last year when her relationship status wasn’t as relevant, it would receive a plethora of applause. Drama happens in everyone’s lives, but that doesn’t mean we ruin one’s reputation for it. Carpenter has started off the year with a rocky start, but I have no doubt that it will only go up after social media calms down and Carpenter releases her next project.