Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album, “Man’s Best Friend”, sparked endless online debate upon announcement over its controversial album cover which features Carpenter on her knees below a faceless man. After months of heated internet discourse on whether or not the album would be a satirical feminist critique or the raunchy older sister to her previous work on “Short and Sweet”, the album simply ended up as a decent pop album.
While the lyricism on the album is not as sharp as its predecessor, the instrumentals and ad-libs on nearly every song were pure magic. Clearly inspired by a vintage pop sound mixed with a little bit of twang, the almost instantaneous choruses and sparkly sound effects are enough to get anyone dancing.
“Manchild”
The album’s single, “Manchild,” didn’t exactly feel like much of a departure from Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” era, but its fun 80s instrumentals made it the perfect song to belt with the windows down all summer long.
With the perfect mix of country and synth, there’s no wonder why “Manchild” was the belated song of the summer for jaded lovergirls everywhere. While Carpenter earnestly swears she isn’t “choosing them” (the manchildren in question), the lyrics of this track say otherwise.
“Tears”
I struggled with discerning the tone of the song. While the lyrics seem to be practically dripping with sarcasm as Carpenter sings of just how… excited her man doing the bare minimum makes her, aspects of “Tears” make it sound like genuine admiration.
Irony and a fun beat can really only take a girl so far. Paired with the rest of the album, second single “Tears” falls incredibly flat. With lyrics like “Baby just do the dishes / I’ll give you what you want / A little communication / Yes, that’s my ideal foreplay”, this track practically begs listeners for an unenthusiastic eyeroll at best.
“My Man on Willpower”
I was honestly shocked at the tone of this song. Based on the title alone, I was expecting the song to be about a man living up to his full potential, but instead, it felt centered on Carpenter attempting to revive a dying relationship where her lover slowly loses interest. That being said, the beat is infectious and we’ve all dealt with the self-help book-obsessed man who suddenly realizes it’s not him — it’s you.
On “My Man on Willpower”, Carpenter is living in a “romantic dark comedy” style “nightmare” where her partner begins to have a wandering eye for practically anything but her. As the newfound “least sought after girl in the land”, she grapples with what to do with herself and her lover’s distance. This track is a clear stand out, with Carpenter’s mix of witty self-awareness and frustration bringing the otherwise fantastical album back down to earth.
“Sugar Talking”
“Sugar Talking”, an obvious twist on the phrase “sweet talking” explores Carpenter as she grapples with a man being all talk when she needs physical validation as well. While the vocals on this track were stunning, the lyrics fell flat.
While ”Sugar Talking” may be one of the most sonically unique tracks on the album with deep vocals reminiscent of Carpenter’s earlier works, I was let down by its lack of direction and weak lyricism making it feel forgettable.
“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night”
This was the turning point of the album for me. With an almost musical theatre-esque quality, Carpenter relives the humiliating ritual of going back and forth with a “situationship” — and your friends knowing about all of it. I loved the bridge where Carpenter details a conversation with her lover about the constant pattern of getting to the point of almost breaking up.
I likely won’t be replaying “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” again. The make-up sex inspired ballad hits all of the weakest points of “Man’s Best Friend” — hollow instrumentals, an outstanding lack of lyrical depth and awkwardly placed innuendo.
“Nobody’s Son”
“Nobody’s Son” was hands down my favorite from the album and I will have it stuck in my head for at least four to five business days. The songs’ bouncy instrumental is juxtaposed with the emotionally hopeless lyrics and will be a go-to breakup song for decades to come. The bridge felt very reminiscent of Manchild’s iconic line, “I choose to blame your mom.”
For a track about Carpenter’s despair towards not finding a lover to “believe in”, it is nearly impossible to not dance to “Nobody’s Son” — or at the very least break into a good shoulder shimmy. Jack Antonoff’s hand in this album is undeniable and shines on this track. The songs’ reverb and build up feels reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s “Now That We Don’t Talk”, produced by Antonoff only a little under two years ago.
“Never Getting Laid”
An alternate title for this song could be “Please, Please, Please”’s older sister. We’ve been here before, between the previously mentioned track and “Taste”, Carpenter already has two songs exploring the insecurity and jealousy of an ex moving on after you. The outro of the song felt completely unnecessary and out of place alongside the other ironically supportive lyrics of the rest of the track.
While the instrumental feels nothing short of magical, Carpenter’s satirical, jealous wishes for her former lover on “Never Getting Laid” are unmemorable. The spoken word sing-song style outro at the end of the track is oddly tongue-in-cheek and adds a level of interest to an otherwise “meh” track.
“When Did You Get Hot?”
Featuring an infectious beat and witty innuendos, this track was more in line with what I originally thought the tone of the album would be. With the album coming out just weeks after James Gunn’s Superman, Carpenter missed the opportunity to change the line, “Can you lift my car with your hand? You were an ugly kid but you’re a sexy man.” to “Can you lift my car with your hand? You were a nerdy kid but you’re a super man.”
“When Did You Get Hot” is a much needed pick-me-up on the b-side of “Man’s Best Friend”. As Carpenter does a “double take, triple take”, the earworm invites listeners to join in on the fantasy in this seductive track.
“Go Go Juice”
“Go Go Juice” is my second top pick for the album. Filled with Carpenter’s well-known ad-libs and cheeky lyrics, it takes a few listens to realize the singer is detailing calling past lovers drunk after a breakup. Instrumentally, this song felt full. Fast-paced acoustic guitar, fiddle, tambourine — Antonoff outdid himself on the production for this one.
In the style of a “good old-fashioned fun” drunk phone call, “Go Go Juice” gets straight to the point just a little too quickly. Carpenter shines on this track with an unforgettable campfire chorus, rambly verses and ad-libs that tie the track together with a ribbon. While not as full as “Coincidence” from “Short and Sweet”, you’ll never find me saying no to a singalong Carpenter track.
“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry”
“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” has a slow start, which I think will make it an unfortunate skip for most listeners. However, in an album filled with surface-level lyrics, I found this song to feature welcomed vulnerability. While many of Carpenter’s songs make her relationships seem like Shakespearean tragedies, this song reveals perhaps some of these doomed endings stem from self-sabotage.
For the first time on the album, Carpenter invites us into a vulnerable part of her heart and psyche. “So don’t worry / I’ll make you worry like no other girl can / So don’t worry / I’ll leave you feeling like a shell of a man” she sings in the final chorus as it leads into a dreamy outro. “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” was a pleasant surprise as we enter the last few tracks of the album.
“House Tour”
I really wanted to not like “House Tour”. With innuendos so painfully obvious and an out-of-place bridge, it’s not a track I’ll be coming back to; however, its catchy 80s-inspired melody saved it from being a skip for me.
For all the girls who love everything camp and live on “Pretty Girl Avenue”, this track is for you. While the metaphors (which are unfortunately ”promise[ed]” to not exist on this track…) come across quite clunky, the beat on this song is infectious, as well as the iconic bridge: “My house is on Pretty Girl Avenue / My house was especially built for you / Some say it’s a place where your dreams come true / My house could be your house too”.
“Goodbye”
This ABBA-infused track is incredibly catchy and feels appropriate for an album whose main theme seems to be not to take love or life too seriously. While Carpenter tells her lover never to contact her again after calling off the relationship, the energetic instrumentation and bouncy melody reminded me of “Chiquitita.”
Oh, hello ABBA! While the pre-chorus and chorus on “Goodbye” is truly phenomenal, the verses fall incredibly hollow in comparison. It’s easy to tell this song was created with a live performance in mind.
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I Fw this