Sabrina Carpenter released her much anticipated 7th full-length, ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ via Island Records. The record is a bold, cheeky yet vulnerable pop record that playfully chronicles heartbreak with wit, sass, and unapologetic charm.
‘Man’s Best Friend’ by Sabrina Carpenter is a cheeky, bold pop album sprinkled with vulnerability and a healthy dose of sass. Taking cues from the country-western stylings of artists like Dolly Parton, this album doesn’t shy away from telling it like it is.
Its shades go from bright to somewhat-muted, leaning into the playful and diving into the vulnerable. Carpenter’s witty lyricism and familiar, nostalgic groove pulls from her work on songs like ‘Please Please Please’ from her highly successful 2024 album ‘Short and Sweet’
‘Man’s Best Friend’ goes through the waves of heartbreak with this fun, unapologetic air. We move from playful disdain to liberating vulnerability within the record’s 38 minutes. There’s a classy air to this chronicle too, with Carpenter singing about silly boys and knowing what she wants.
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‘Man’s Best Friend’: Track-by-Track
‘Manchild’ – ‘My Man on Willpower’
We begin with the album’s first single, ‘Manchild’, cheeky in a way that perfectly encapsulates the album’s themes. The perfect follow-up to ‘Please Please Please’, ‘Manchild’ tells it like it is. Our narrator is done, and this bright track makes that abundantly clear, with clever lyrics that don’t do much to hide her frustration.
“…I swear they all choose me, I’m not choosing them…”.
It’s bold and confident in the way you’d expect from Carpenter, cheeky and “not for the pearl-clutchers.”
‘Tears’ on the other hand is an empowering reaffirmation of knowing exactly what you want. Our narrator isn’t coy, using the song’s slightly slower build and her charming lines to paint the picture of a steamy night in.
“…I get wet at the thought of you…tears running down my thighs…”.
The witty metaphor and song’s seductive evokes images of fun late nights wrapped in the confidence of someone who knows exactly what she wants.
‘My Man on Willpower’ takes on the moment of truth, the realisation that “this one’s no different” with this cheeky air. Our narrator describes the highs, those moments when her lover was attentive, keeping up with her and making promises before they (seemingly inevitably) pull away.
Now they pull away, unmasking the truth, but our narrator isn’t surprised, just resigned.
The album’s tone, that’s been subtly shifting from bright to a bit more subdued, begins becoming a bit more prominent now and only builds as we go on.
‘Sugar Talking’ – ‘Nobody’s Son’
‘Sugar Talking’ is groovy, guitar-led and a bit more subdued. The brightness from ‘Manchild’ is faint but present, while our narrator is seemingly just done with the BS. “…Put your loving where your mouth is,…your paragraphs mean sh*t to me…”.
She’s clear about how she feels, coming from a place of vulnerability but strength. ‘Sugar Talking’ feels like it’s laying down the law, with its subdued groove and classy yet brutal honesty. The song’s ‘oohs’ are a definite highlight on the album.
‘We Almost Broke Up Again’ opens with the line “…Bullsh*t repeats itself…”, wholly resigned and just tired. We’re now privy to a pattern that seems to loop in on itself, the song’s guitars highlighting this with a slow, subdued sort of loop.
“…You say (we’ve) drifted apart,…yeah I f*cking know…”.
The lyrics of the song feel like an honest gut-punch while its groove feels like it moves in circles. Fitting.
‘Nobody’s Son’ doesn’t hide its hurt and disappointment, even under bright, quirky rhythms. It’s bittersweet, with her lover striking first and dumping her unceremoniously. “…I think it’s time we took a break so (that) I can grow emotionally…”, they say.
The song captures the bittersweetness of mixed emotion.
“…Probably should have guessed he’s like the rest…”.
By this point, there’s this sense of call-and-response you begin to register, as the story progresses and begins to move through its stages. Our narrator’s dissatisfaction was thinly-veiled before, but now it’s front-and-centre.
The album builds its momentum by telling its story step-by-step. The tale moving along with each song.
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‘Never Getting Laid’ – ‘Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry’
‘Never Getting Laid’ is subdued, with its melodies evoking images of late nights that feel a little lonely. Our narrator finds herself single and alone, even with her options open. The sting from the last track still feels too close for comfort.
“…At the end of the rainbow, I hope you find a good whole lot of nothing…”.
‘When Did You Get Hot?’ is percussion heavy, groovy and heavyset. Its rhythm pulls it apart from the rest, with lines that ring with surprise and interest. Again, it demonstrates that our narrator simply knows what she wants and knows how to express it, the song oozing with this sort of tell-tale cheekiness and an air of confidence.
‘Go Go Juice’ finds itself still reeling, with our narrator getting a little too drunk and acting a bit too recklessly. “…I’m just drinking to call someone, ain’t nobody safe when I’m a little drunk…”. “….A girl who knows her liquor is a girl who’s been dumped…”. Vulnerable and cheeky.
‘Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry’ feels like a direct follow-up to the last song, a bit lost and vulnerable. Its mood somehow evokes this image of someone lonely and pretty much drunk being carried away and tucked into the car back home.
From falling apart to picking up the pieces, there’s this shift, this change. It’s subtle and almost imperceptible, while the song’s melodies feel contemplative. Vulnerable and leaning towards wholly falling apart before someone picks up the pieces again.
“…You think I’m gonna mess with your head, well you’re absolutely right…Don’t worry I’ll make you worry…”
This mood makes the song a layered highlight on the album.
‘House Tour’ and ‘Goodbye’
‘House Tour’ is a fun, synth-led track that feels like we’ve turned over a new leaf. Back to being bright and a bit more cheeky, our narrator uses a thinly-veiled metaphor to entice their new lover. It feels liberating almost, fresh in a way that feels true to form.
“…My house was built especially for you…my house could be your house too…”.
The final track on the album, ‘Goodbye’ feels like closure. Quiet, vulnerable and sentimental, this track feels like that final boundary, that stick in the mud that defines that line between the end of this rollercoaster and the start of something new.
“…Goodbye means that you’re losing me for life…” .
The song feels like a reclamation, a celebration. It feels like the perfect end to a relationship that seems to have brought our narrator nothing but grief.
All in all, ‘Man’s Best Friend’ by Sabrina Carpenter captures this mood and sound that she’s made quintessentially hers. It takes her brand of cheeky humour and bold, playful charm and gives it a space to reach its full potential.
Powerful, sensual, unapologetic, vulnerable with a hint of cheeky spice.
Listen to ‘Man’s Best Friend’ by Sabrina Carpenter here:
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