Review: Sabrina Carpenter - ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Album

With pre-release controversies regarding the album cover being anti-feminist and bringing women down, at long last, the pop artist Sabrina Carpenter is back with her third studio album, ‘Man’s Best Friend’.

The album opens with the single ‘Manchild’, in which Sabrina calls out her male counterparts who often fail to meet her expectations in terms of stability and independence. This single is an excellent summer track that follows her two billion- stream release, ‘Espresso’, featured on her previous album, ‘Short n’ Sweet’ (2024).

The leading track, ‘Tears’, is a song with a chorus so strong it would most definitely top the charts if its opening lines weren’t censored in its radio edits. The “A-ha” parts in the chorus remind me of the same notes used in ABBA’s song ‘Voulez-Vous’ (1979), and with Sabrina previously covering ABBA songs such as ‘Mamma Mia’ within her tour setlists, the influence of the 1970s band is prominent here – and I am a big fan of it!

A large chunk of the album, through tracks such as ‘My Man on Willpower’, ‘We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night’, ‘Nobody’s Son’ and ‘Goodbye’, Sabrina takes the listener through an emotional journey filled with several problems within a relationship that grew strong quickly and fell short of Sabrina’s expectations, leading to an even rapider breakdown in the bond they once shared. Upon Sabrina Carpenter breaking up with her ex-partner, Irish actor Barry Keoghan, in late 2024, many listeners have since speculated that Sabrina is referring to this relationship throughout this album. The lyrics such as “That boy is corrupt / Get PTSD on the daily / He sure fucked me up / And yes, I’m talking ‘bout your baby” (in the track ‘Nobody’s Son’), or “Goodbye / That means you’re losing me for life / Can’t call it love then call it quits” (in ‘Goodbye’) showcase this vicious chain of events well.

‘Sugar Talking’ is an upbeat track that draws the listener in from its opening guitar notes and maintains their attention throughout the song. Here, Sabrina tells her counterpart that his “sugar talking isn’t working tonight”, and later confronts him by singing, “Saying that you miss me / Boy, do you want a prize?”. This track is definitely one of my favourites in their sound and execution, and I found myself coming back to it the most upon the album’s release.

In ‘Never Getting Laid’, Sabrina tunes the sound of the track list down to a more comfortable and relaxed level, as she acknowledges her past anger in a relationship that left her wronged and confused. She wishes her presumably ex-partner “a lifetime full of happiness and a forever of never getting laid”, almost sarcastically contrasting good with bad.

In true Sabrina Carpenter style, her typically pop tracks with catchy melodies, steady instrumentals, and repeating choruses shine on ‘Man’s Best Friend’. These include ‘Go Go Juice’, with its evident country influences, and ‘House Tour’, both of which have been trending on social media platforms and are among definite fan favourites so far. The track ‘When Did You Get Hot’ is another great example of Sabrina’s lingering pop presence, with its sensual vocals that reflect the singer’s abilities perfectly and an early-2000s, Britney Spears-inspired instrumental.

Personally, I wish ‘Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry’ was the closing track of this album instead of ‘Goodbye’, for I feel it wraps up the sound of the album perfectly while also wishing it farewell upon its release. Furthermore, it reminds me slightly of Sabrina’s previous track ‘Don’t Smile’, which is conveniently also the closing track of her 2024 album.

In ‘Man’s Best Friend’, Sabrina Carpenter was able to maintain her image as a trending pop girl who is not afraid to talk about how she feels, while also branching out ever so slightly in her vocals, such as particularly in ‘We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night’ and ‘Never Getting Laid’. I adore her honesty and how she can be unapologetically herself as a young and established woman in the 21 st Century. Despite the controversies that arose upon the initial announcement of this album, I believe ‘Man’s Best Friend’ is a great late-summer release that mostly draws on what has previously worked for Sabrina, and what she knows she does well. If classic pop music is your thing, ‘Man’s Best Friend’ is for you!

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Magda Kanecka for Ceol Magazine!

Check out more by Magda here!

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