Sabrina Carpenter fans were pleasantly surprised to hear that a new album would be released only a year after her hit “Short ‘N Sweet”. On June 11, 2025, Carpenter first teased her next release just a few days after her single “Manchild” came out.
I don’t listen to a ton of pop music, but I’ll admit I’ve been a fan of Carpenter’s newer tracks. “Espresso”, “Taste”, and “Please Please Please” are all catchy, so I was definitely interested when she announced her next project.
There was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the cover art for the album “Man’s Best Friend”, which depicted Carpenter on her knees being held by a man. Despite there being many critiques (and maybe equally as much defense), it has been said that all publicity is good publicity, and this album had a lot of publicity. It’s time to see if it lives up to the hype!
Manchild-
This was a great introduction to the album. “Manchild” starts out super simple, and it’s reminiscent of Carpenter’s past hits. Still, there’s more style coming through, and there’s a really clear country influence too, which is noticeable throughout much of the album. Overall, it’s preppy, fun, and full of personality. The song is obviously meant to play off Carpenter’s frustrations in a humorous way, which we’ve come to expect, and I think it helps build her character as an artist.
Tears-
Right off the bat, you can tell this is going to be a very different song from the one preceding it. It’s fun and high energy, featuring a strong beat and breathy vocals. Carpenter maintains her signature cheeky lyricism, but she’s sounding less pessimistic this time. The music itself can best be described as swanky, with less of that twangy charm we hear in “Manchild”. It sounds like I’m floating through the rhythm, and it’s one of my favorites on the album. There’s nothing particularly revealing in the lyrics, but it’s a clear switch- up from the themes in “Manchild” and her frustrations there.
My Man on Willpower-
This song is fine. It doesn’t really add anything new overall, but I also wouldn’t call it bad. Carpenter’s vocals get a lot more playful here, and it’s sort of an ironic addition to the album. In the first track, Carpenter expresses annoyance towards the childish men plaguing her life, while in this track she complains that her man is too engaged with work and life’s responsibilities. Maybe it was included to build a theme or something, but it just sounds boring to me, like a filler song. Although the outro is pretty nice, it still doesn’t make it interesting enough for another listen.
Sugar Talking-
So far, “Sugar Talking” takes the cake for me. It’s mellow and relaxed, and it’s the first song that isn’t overtly ironic or making fun of something; it feels honest while still being a fun listen. I also appreciate the country sound Carpenter continues to employ in small doses. There are so many elements here that really come together for me:, the backing vocals, the mix of acoustic and electric guitar, and the heavy- hitting drums throughout. The way it suddenly ends is nice and really solidifies the annoyed mood, too.
We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night-
This song just kind of missed the mark. Immediately, the melody isn’t very original. It’s okay, but boring. Especially given the title, you might expect that Carpenter opens up a little more or explores some different themes, but the lyrics are mostly a reiteration of the title. It just felt unnecessary to include. “You say we’re drifting apart/ I said ‘Yeah, I f***in know/ Big deal we’ve been here before/ And we’ll be here tomorrow”. We never get any explanation of why they’re drifting apart, or for how long they’ve been together, or why they’re actually staying together. It sounds like a whole lot of nothing. Most of the album has been pretty simple so far, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but I was hoping for a little more depth given the song’s name.
Nobody’s Son-
I’d call this song bittersweet. It’s set to a jolly tune, and honestly, it’s grown on me as I listen to it more. Still, the lyrical contents are pretty similar to “Manchild” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night”- her boyfriends keep disappointing her. We don’t get a whole lot new in this song either, but it’s pretty catchy.
Never Getting Laid-
I felt catfished by this song. Its intro was mellow and fun, much like “Tears,” and the verses delivered. However, the chorus felt painfully generic compared to the rest of the song, from the music itself to the lyrics. “Baby, I’m not angry/ Love you just the same/ I just hope you get agoraphobia some days” sounds corny to me. It just feels like obvious writing that’s meant to come off as clever. It’s another very simple song too; her ex cheated and she wishes bad things on him. I don’t mind a simple song, but the lyrics could be from any other pop song- there’s nothing distinct or really interesting about them.
When did you get hot?-
My biggest critique of this song is that it’s the shortest on the album. It’s a much different style from every other song, and probably has the least amount of meaning out of them all, but it’s addictive. Carpenter put her vocal skills on full display, and there’s a lot of layering going on in the background, which I’m a sucker for. I don’t mind its simplicity as much since it’s so different stylistically.
Go Go Juice–
“Go Go Juice” is easily Carpenter’s most distinct track on the whole album. Her country influence really picks up again here, which might be why I dislike it so much, though I have to admit that it’s an objectively good song. She really pushed the twangy-pop sound on this track, which makes it stand out. I actually really like the bridge too, and it breaks up the song nicely. It’s fun and high energy, plus refreshing to hear, given that most of the album has revolved around relationships, and this is a change of pace. Although it’s not my style, I think it’s one of the better songs on this album.
Don’t Worry I’ll Make you Worry-
There’s almost a folksy sound to this song, and it reminds me of a late summer evening. It’s slower, more emotional, and the twanginess fits in well with Carpenter’s flowery vocals. I feel like “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” was going for a similar vibe as this one- honest, slow, almost ballad-y, but the former failed where the latter didn’t. Carpenter could have pushed herself even more here, I think, but this song felt like a step in the right direction to me.
House Tour-
“House Tour” perfectly displays everything that makes Carpenter so unique and successful. The lyrics are cheeky and provocative, it’s upbeat and energetic, and the beat really shines through. It’s a song I could’ve heard on “Short N Sweet” while still perfectly fitting in with “Man’s Best Friend”. Still, it would have stood out a lot more if the whole album didn’t have the same theme. It’s a good song, but it ends up sounding repetitive in the context of the album.
Goodbye-
There’s a clear ABBA influence here, which I appreciate. Much of the album has had a 70’s/80’s theme, so closing with this song ties it up nicely. It’s fast-paced and fun, and a little more unique stylistically. I think it was a good choice to end the album with, even though it’s not my favorite.
People online seem to have varying opinions on how the songs should be ranked. I think that’s in large part due to the similarity of the tracks, but if I had to list the songs off “Man’s Best Friend” from best to worst, here’s how I’d do it:
- Sugar Talking
- Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry
- Tears
- Manchild
- When Did You Get So Hot?
- Go Go Juice
- House Tour
- Nobody’s Son
- Goodbye
- My Man On Willpower
- We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night
- Never Getting Laid
My thoughts overall? Not a bad sequel to “Short ‘N Sweet”, though my use of the word sequel is very intentional. I don’t think “Man’s Best Friend” really delivered anything that Carpenter’s previous albums didn’t. It especially didn’t live up to the controversy surrounding it, since, all things considered, the album was pretty tame. It’s a pretty good track list, but I was expecting more after the impression “Short ‘N Sweet” left me.
