The newest princess of pop returned with her divisive “Man’s Best Friend” as Sabrina Carpenter’s new album hit shelves and streaming on Aug 29. 

After the incredible hit that was “Short n’ Sweet,” the former Disney star returned with her seventh studio album.

For this album, Carpenter cut down on collaborators. “Man’s Best Friend” had only two producers, Jack Antonoff and John Ryan. The album was co-written by Carpenter, the producers and Amy Allen.

In stark comparison, “Short n’ Sweet” was produced by Ryan, Antonoff, Julian Bunetta and Ian Kirkpatrick. The album had a total of seven writers. Carpenter, Allen and the producers were joined by Julian Michaels and Steph Jones.

That cut down on collaborators shows in this album. “Man’s Best Friend” feels more like it’s all spoken by the same artistic voice

Filled with the touches of synth-pop, disco and just a little bit of country, “Man’s Best Friend” is a divisive addition to Carpenter’s discography.

“Manchild” – 9/10

The first track, and first single, of the album is beautifully catchy.

Instrumentally, the song is held up by the ‘80s synth sounds that producer Antonoff is known for.

The synth isn’t alone, however. The chorus adds the identifiable country sounds of a banjo and fiddle, but includes a noticeable modern production to their sound.

Carpenter’s strong vocals are supported by a simple melody that makes the song a natural radio hit.

It’s different enough to stand out in the modern pop music landscape, but nothing so experimental that it leaves mainstream appeal.

“Tears” – 8/10

Carpenter disguises a song lamenting how low the standards for men are as a pop song about sex.

The problem, this song is not about Carpenter’s casual dating life. Instead, it’s an earnest, but lighthearted, song about how low the bar for men is.

For Carpenter, a man who does basic chores, responds to her texts, respects women and takes initiative is enough to have her fall for him.

“Tears” is a song about how many men don’t meet easily achievable standards.

The song doesn’t do much that’s musically interesting, but the lyrics are witty enough to carry it. Additionally, Carpenter’s vocals are as stunning as I’ve come to expect from her.

“My Man on Willpower” – 7.5/10

Track three is another solid pop song that doesn’t stand out on the album.

It’s a short and simple tune where Carpenter is confused about her man’s sudden self-restraint.

There’s not much to say about this song. It’s distinct from the rest of the album, but still isn’t remarkable. It’s catchy and fun, but lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

“Sugar Talking” – 8/10

“Sugar Talking” is a more stripped-down track.

Musically, the focus is on Carpenter’s vocals. The track is based around a simple, pleasant vocal riff.

Track four calms the album’s pace a bit. It dwells more than the previous tracks and keeps the album from feeling like too much of the same.

It’s extremely well-placed and makes for a really nice listen.

Lyrically, the song tells the story of a woman looking for action, not words. She’s uninterested in sweet texts that mean nothing and empty grand gestures.

She wants to see that those words mean something.

“Sugar Talking” is a standard Carpenter song, but that’s not a bad thing. Its vocals are sonically beautiful, its lyrics are witty and its instrumentals are satisfyingly simple.

“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” – 7/10

This song is a good way to follow “Sugar Talking.” It continues the slower pacing and bittersweet vibes.

“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” begins like a song off of Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR.” The moody vocals and acoustic guitar don’t last, however.

The song quickly pivots to a straightforward ballad that’s supported by relatively simple instrumentals. Its simple structure is broken up by a nice, if a bit simple, guitar solo.

“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” is a self-explanatory song. It tells a story of a couple on the rocks. They almost broke up, but it’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.

The relationship is stuck in a cycle of near-misses with heartbreak.

Carpenter’s voice takes on a pseudo-angelic sound that alone makes it worth a listen. The layering of her vocals is quite pleasing to the ear, but the song isn’t particularly special as a part of the album.

“Nobody’s Son” – 7/10

The sixth track is another that hides lyrics about Carpenter’s woes with men behind simple and catchy songwriting.

It’s hard to write about songs like this because I have very few genuine complaints.

When writing my Deftones review, I found it easy to pick the songs apart, but I’m finding the opposite problem here. The album is so fun and simple that I have a hard time criticizing it.

This song is a great illustration of that problem. I could say that it’s not anything life-changing, but it feels futile to do so because it’s not meant to be.

“Nobody’s Son” is about Carpenter being let down by so many men that she imagines that there are no men left for her to be with.

The lyrics are literal and direct, never hiding their ideas from the audience. Its music isn’t blazing new territory.

“Man’s Best Friend” as a whole has been criticized for that lyrical and musical simplicity, but I can’t find an issue with something being what it is.

I can’t in good conscience criticize a song for falling short of greatness when it feels clear it wasn’t meant to reach that height.

“Nobody’s Son” isn’t great or especially unique, but I don’t think it has to be. 

“Never Getting Laid” – 8/10

“Never Getting Laid” is another shift in the album’s sound profile. This time, Carpenter and her producers aim for a simple, jazzy instrumental sound.

The track is accompanied by Carpenter’s signature silky serenading and witty lyrics.

It’s an elegant and straightforward song that suits Carpenter and her creative team well.

“When Did You Get Hot?” – 8.5/10

With this song, Carpenter returns to being explicit.

Genuinely, I think this is the most suggestive song on the album, especially considering it is unmarred by the evils of men. It is purely about a guy who had a glow-up, and I can appreciate that simplicity.

“When Did You Get Hot?” is one of the simplest songs on the album, and it benefits from that.

Though it lacks the sounds of country that touch some of “Man’s Best Friend,” Carpenter slips into the country accent when she says, “you were an ugly kid, but you’re a sexy man.”

I really love this catchy bop. Thank you to the entire creative team for giving me this.

“Go Go Juice” – 9.5/10

This is my favorite song on the album. The only thing that keeps it from a perfect score is my own personal preference.

There is no tangible element of music that will push a song from 9.5 to a 10; it’s something I can only feel in my bones.

For this track, the country sound is cranked up to eleven. Despite this, it never fully crosses into country music territory.

It’s still produced like the rest of the album. The southern elements always feel like they’re a pastiche and never a full-throated attempt at country.

The witty, simple lyrics pair perfectly with Carpenter’s playful vocals. To me, this is the perfect version of a Sabrina Carpenter song.

“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” – 6.5/10

After the album’s highest point comes its lowest.

The simple ballad feels like a bit of a drag. Upon multiple listens, I found myself wanting this song to be over so I could get to the song that followed it.

It’s sonically similar to “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” but it lacks the interesting musicality that makes that song work. 

Though not a bad song, it is definitely the one that falls the most flat for me.

“House Tour” – 8/10

Picking up the pace, “House Tour” is a truly fun song. It feels like the musical equivalent of the neon rollerblading outfit Margot Robbie wears in “Barbie.”

It’s maximalist in a really fun way. It’s just on the border of overwhelming, but never crosses the line of being too much.

“House Tour” is where Carpenter plays with double entendre the most. Unlike most of the album, this song never outright says it’s about sex, but it’s the closest you could get.

It’s the only song on the album that achieves a maximalist disco sound, and it is worth listening to for that reason alone.

“Goodbye” – 8/10

To close out the album, there is a song that feels like a quintessentially Sabrina Carpenter song.

It’s a song that wittily toys with saying goodbye to an ex. It’s lyrically playful and the music matches that tone

Is it groundbreaking? No, it’s just a 2020s pop banger.

A brief departure: The album cover controversy

When the album’s cover hit the timeline, it sparked some controversy online. Many claimed it was pandering to the male gaze and reinforced misogynistic tropes about women.

Arwa Mahdawi’s piece in The Guardian raised an interesting point about the cover’s implications.

“Women’s rights are being aggressively rolled back in the US, and there is backlash to women’s rights around the world, Carpenter’s cover art isn’t subverting anything,” Mahdawi said..

She’s not alone either. Glasgow Women’s Aid broached concerns about the album cover being “regressive,” and many people on social media had similar thoughts.

It’s very difficult to talk about Carpenter’s music without bringing up the inherent sexuality imbued in it. Her public image is hyper-sexual, but it’s not in a traditional way.

Carpenter’s music, as well as the art and performances that accompany it, approach sexuality with a tongue-in-cheek attitude.

It’s so comically present in her art that it’s obviously satirical. She’s satirizing the societal ideas of female sexuality and making them her own.

The album cover of “Man’s Best Friend” illustrates the most extreme version of this. Carpenter is on all fours, her hair grasped by the hand of a man whose face is out of view.

The image paired with the album cover paints a clear commentary to me.

She’s not pushing misogynistic ideas through the album cover; she’s trying to subvert them. Carpenter is intentionally evoking the outdated and degrading idea that women are property to reclaim female sexuality.

It’s worth noting the time this album exists in.

Women’s rights have seen increasing rollbacks since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. There has been a noticeable shift in Gen Z men’s views on women compared to previous generations.

The wage gap is still a prominent factor, with women on average making 85 cents for every dollar men make.

Women are now a majority of college students, making up 59% of bachelor’s degree recipients in 2023.

The political gap between Gen Z men and women is stark, and that’s an important factor in the conversation.

Polling suggests that the percentage of republican men who believe women should return to traditional gender roles has increased from 28% to 48%.

But when you consider who Carpenter is, it becomes clear that she isn’t reinforcing cultural misogyny. 

The backlash is, at least in my view, unfair. What an adult woman does with her art does not set the feminist movement back. She’s embracing her own sexuality.

If the cover is considered with the context of the music that accompanies it, the satire becomes obvious.

“Man’s Best Friend” has several songs that clearly criticize how men mistreat women. The song’s first single, “Manchild,” is about the shortcomings of men.

Overall, I think the discourse around the album cover is overblown. Of all the things to find an issue with in modern pop culture, this would be pretty far down my list.

Women should be allowed to embrace their sexuality without the fear of backlash, especially from feminists.

Overall Thought – 8/10

“Man’s Best Friend” is an album that deserves to be remembered as fun, if nothing else.

It’s not an album of the year contender by any means, but it’s a terrific contribution to modern pop music.

I hope to see Carpenter continue her work with this creative team, because I think they’re really making pop music for me right now.

Maybe I’m being too nice, but I really like to like things. My heart longs to love, and I can’t change that.