On Aug. 29, Sabrina Carpenter’s new album, “Man’s Best Friend”, was released. The album contains a total of twelve songs, the first of which, being “Manchild”, was released June 5. Carpenter has built a name for herself, beginning her journey to fame with her role in Disney’s “Girl Meets World” in 2014. Since then she has released seven albums, including “Man’s Best Friend”. The sixth, titled “Short n’ Sweet”, which won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards, and the seventh song, “Espresso”,which also won Best Pop Solo Performance. Though expectations for “Man’s Best Friend” were high, they were met and exceeded.
The first of the tracks, “Manchild”, was the perfect song to release as a preview of the album. When the album cover and title were released, controversy sparked due to the position Carpenter was in, and fans began to question if the album would be derogatory towards women. However, I believe that “Manchild” did an excellent job of portraying quite the opposite. “Manchild”, as the name suggests, is about the experience of dating men who are “incompetent”, as Carpenter puts it. The song is catchy and lampoons the men that “always come running” to her.
The second song of the track, titled “Tears”, again plays with the idea that standards for men have decreased in the modern dating world. Carpenter satirically exalts qualities such as respecting women that are typically considered (or should be) bare minimum. “Tears” is very similar to “Manchild”, but plays with the idea that Carpenter is now in a relationship with the exact same stereotype of male she was previously complaining about. Considering “Man’s Best Friend” is intended to be listened to in order of the tracks, the combination of “Manchild” and “Tears” flows very well, especially considering the third song.
“My Man on Willpower” is hilariously hypocritical when given context. The song complains about Carpenter’s love interest, and his back-and-forth behavior, despite the previous two songs involving similar behavior from Carpenter herself. Lyrics such as “He used to be literally obsessed with me, I am suddenly the least sought after girl in the land” can either be relatable when the song is a standalone, or satirical given the entirety of the album.
“Sugar Talking” continues with the album’s theme of poking fun at men, though it takes a slightly different approach than the previous three tracks. This is the first song in which we hear Carpenter directly disagree with the love interest, and it flows into the fifth song quite well. Though to the naked eye they may not seem like a perfect pair, “Sugar Talking” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” are the perfect sequel to the previous trio. In “Sugar Talking”, Carpenter sings about how her love interest can no longer convince her, and in “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” Carpenter plays again with her hypocrisy, as she–as the title suggests–does not fully leave him (at least for now).
“Nobody’s Son”, however, reveals that Carpenter does end up leaving him. The tone of the song is playful, despite it having rather depressing lyrics, which fits into Carpenter’s style very well. Besides the song being upbeat, “Nobody’s Son” is a more generic song about the end of a relationship, involving crying and third wheeling.
“Never Getting Laid” fits well into Carpenter’s discography, but compared to the rest of the album it is nothing special. The chorus is catchy, but that goes for every song in “Man’s Best Friend”. It is my personal least favorite of the album, as it sounds like a blend between every other song.
“When Did You Get Hot?” is one of the catchiest songs you can find on the disc, and reminds me much of her previous album, “Short n’ Sweet”, which I quite enjoyed. It fits very well into Carpenter’s sensual themes, without being too explicit. “When Did You Get Hot?” is a catchy, light intro to her more adult-aimed songs, such as “Go Go Juice” and “House Tour”. “Go Go Juice” is the perfect blend between Carpenter’s typical themes and the story she tells through “Man’s Best Friend”. Carpenter sings lightheartedly about drinking liquor to get over a breakup, and it would have led perfectly into “House Tour” if it was not interrupted.
“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” is the tenth track on “Man’s Best Friend”, and while it is well-written it should not have been placed where it was. The potential transition between “Go Go Juice” and “House Tour” would have been much more understandable if “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” was placed earlier in the album. Previously, when Carpenter was singing about her hypocrisy, “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” would have fit perfectly, as she is discussing her faults as a partner.
“House Tour”, similarly to “When Did You Get Hot?” would have fit very well on “Short n’ Sweet”, though that is just Carpenter’s style. Nearly all of the lyrics are sensual, making it the perfect potential sequel to “When Did You Get Hot?”. I am glad “Man’s Best Friend” did not end up as a sequel to “Short n’ Sweet”, as many have already complained that several of Carpenter’s songs sound too similar. However, the incorporation of the “Short n’ Sweet” themes was done well, and really solidifies Carpenter’s style.
“Goodbye”, as you may guess based on the title, is the last song on “Man’s Best Friend”, and a perfect one at that. “Goodbye” involves Carpenter entirely ending the relationship with the man she had been singing about the entire album, and puts an end to the story. Overall, the album is catchy and upbeat, as I expected from Carpenter. The placement of the songs is done very well at some points, and though I would have changed bits and pieces, I do not notice it when casually listening to the album. Carpenter is very deserving of her awards, and though I prefer “Short n’ Sweet”, “Man’s Best Friend” did not disappoint.
