Written by Taylor Memoli
Sabrina Carpenter struck pop gold with her 2024 sixth studio album, Short N’ Sweet. Her candid explorations of female sexuality, paired with transparent and playful lyricism, resonated with millions and cemented her as a prominent figure in contemporary music. Naturally, when she announced her seventh and most recent project, Man’s Best Friend, fans were left wondering: where would Carpenter go next?
The album’s commotion began long before its release, sparked by the unveiling of its cover art. The album features a photo of Carpenter being dragged from her hair by a faceless male as she crawls on the ground, mimicking that of a dog. The cover counteracted her image of female empowerment and caused mass discourse on social media about whether the cover was offensive or satirical.
Carpenter announced before the release of Man’s Best Friend that this album is “not for the pearl clutchers,” she explained in an interview with CBS Mornings with Gayle King, “But [people] also think that even pearl clutchers can listen to an album like that in their own solitude and find something that makes them smirk and chuckle to themselves,” she said.
While the album does provoke some clear controversy, Carpenter’s commentary on the album still left audiences wondering how far her musical themes would go and how this new project would grow or shrink her music career after Short N’ Sweet.
Man’s Best Friend opens with “Manchild,” the only pre-released track from this album that portrays a classic pop song with a country twang. In “Manchild,” Carpenter calls out a man, or a “Manchild,” for his child-like behavior in a relationship. This track was a perfect example of a female power anthem and one that rebuilds Carpenter’s name for the cover image.
Following “Manchild” comes “Tears.” “Tears” is an instant hit. With its groovy ’60s instrumentals and humorous lyrics praising men for doing the bare minimum, this track is the embodiment of what Sabrina’s music is currently about. This track, paired with the incredible music video featuring Coleman Domingo in Rocky Horror Picture Show drag, is already projecting this album into the charts.
But the momentum Carpenter creates with her first two tracks slowly fades throughout the rest of the album. While some songs do create hits, a handful of them sound and contain themes that are way too similar to Carpenter’s catalog such as “My Man on Willpower,” “Sugar Talking,” “Nobody’s Son,” “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” “When Did You Get Hot?,” and “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry.” But upon further listening, “My Man of Willpower” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” stand out amongst the grouping, but the others still result in a skip during a re-listen.
“My Man of Willpower” provides an angrier track for individuals who have been dumped by people who “used to be literally obsessed with me.” In contrast, “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” highlights the toxicity that relationships can handle. Though still focused on messy relationships, the song’s raw honesty resonates by capturing aspects of toxicity few want to admit. These two tracks might not carry a lot of weight musically, but they add to the real aspects of romantic life that Carpenter is trying to bring to the surface.
The album sees one of its highlights in its next track, “Never Getting Laid.” While still focusing on messy relationships, the two songs portray raw honesty that resonates with listeners and portray aspects of toxic relationships no one wants to admit to. With its almost Bee Gees-like disco instrumentals, Carpenters’ voice perfectly mixes with this slowed-down track and easily makes one of the album’s standouts.
“Go Go Juice” stays on the track of songs from the individual who got dumped’s perspective and creates a power anthem for individuals who have been left behind after a relationship, while at the same time, Sabrina calls out her own exes in the line, “Could be John or Larry, gosh, who’s to say/ Or the one that rhymes with villain if I’m feeling that way,” portraying clear rhymes to her real life relationships with Shawn Mendes, Barry Keoghan, Josh Bassett, and Dylan O’Brien. Sabrina humanizes herself with her audience, showing that any woman can get cheated on, despite status and looks.
While the next track, “House Tour,” does create a different sound for this album, it adds nothing special to the collection of songs. In this electropop song, Carpenter doesn’t create anything new with her sexual innuendos and creates a predictable, almost annoyingly repetitive track.
The album closes with “Goodbye,” an unsurprising name and theme for this album’s closer. In this track, Carpenter is saying goodbye to a lover who broke up with her, yet tries to paint himself as the victim in the situation. The song gives the listener power, saying goodbye to an ex-lover, however childish or toxic they may be, through powerful lyrics that they are able to belt at the top of their lungs. Despite the song’s predictability, it portrays a classic Carpenter track with powerful vocals and individual strength.
With such a bold album cover, Carpenter had the chance to counteract the sexist imagery through tracks that embodied female power. While some songs, such as “Manchild” and “Goodbye,” lean into more empowering songs, the overall narrative of the record fails to pass the Bechdel test in the slightest.
The album is strong in execution, but it is unable to earn those extra points in creativity. It plays more like an extended deluxe edition of Short N’ Sweet than a new chapter. Still, let’s be honest, despite the skips, the strong tracks will keep listeners coming back for more.
