Sabrina Carpenter’s ascent to stardom since last year has been nothing short of rapid and well-deserved. After years of Disney Channel fame and a string of earnest pop efforts, she has, in the last two years, managed to carve out a space as one of the most visible and talked-about young stars in music. Her chart-topping hits and charming persona have turned her into a pop culture mainstay, with the song of the summer “Espresso” giving her the kind of chart success that long felt just out of reach. As a result, expectations were sky-high when she dropped Man’s Best Friend on August 29th. Both “Short n’ Sweet” and “Man’s Best Friend” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200, but how does this album stack up among Carpenter’s previous successes?
In short, “Man’s Best Friend” is not her best album, nor is it her worst. Instead, it lives in a middle space, catchy enough to keep you entertained but inconsistent enough to make you wonder if it needed more time to marinate. It’s brimming with cheeky wordplay and pop polish, but there’s also a lingering sense that the album feels like the rejects of “Short n’ Sweet.”
Overall, the album is perfectly on-brand for Carpenter’s latest era. She leans heavily into her overly sexualized persona, with lyrics that seem designed to make parents blush. Innuendo has always been part of her toolkit, but here it dominates. However, it feels like sometimes she leans heavily into the “man’s best friend” metaphor. In “When Did You Get Hot?” she revisits a childhood acquaintance with newfound attraction, quipping, “You were an ugly kid, but you’re a sexy man.” It’s funny, flirty and so quotable, but it also highlights the album’s larger issue: shock value often substitutes for depth. The song overall is the perfect sound byte for TikTok edits, which only accents the rushed nature of the album (not that I’m complaining, keep the edits coming).
Soundwise, “Man’s Best Friend” is Carpenter at her most accessible. Tonally, each track is very similar, but also has its own unique beats. The shiny, hook-driven songs pull from 80’s pop, Disco and ABBA, making them super catchy and easy to blast in the car or dance to.
The overall tone of the album succeeds most in Carpenter’s ability to turn private embarrassments into public anthems, giving voice to our inner monologue. “Never Getting Laid” transforms heartbreak into comedy, wishing celibacy upon an ex. “My Man on Willpower” and “Nobody’s Son” capture the exhaustion of one-sided relationships, documenting lovers who are either withholding or too proud to admit they still care. From the opening “Oh, boy” on “Manchild” to the final notes of the closing tracks, she’s relentlessly calling out male failings, with sharp humor and razor hooks.
The reception of the album has been primarily divided. Carpenter’s fans have embraced the album’s unique humor, while critics have been more skeptical. They have pointed to the album’s lack of lyrical substance and rushed release. However, it can be argued that maybe this debate says less about Carpenter’s talent and more about what we demand of female pop stars. Not every album needs to be their next chart topper, but rather some projects are allowed to be explorations of their identity and genres.
“The album is not for any pearl clutchers,” Carpenter told Gayle King in an interview with CBS Mornings. “But I 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.”
Maybe instead of demanding depth from every pop album, “Man’s Best Friend” is a lesson to let go and enjoy what’s right in front of us instead of demanding depth. “Man’s Best Friend” isn’t perfect, but it has catchy tunes that more than earned their spots on a playlist.