On Aug. 29, pop icon Sabrina Carpenter released her seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend,” just a year after her 2024 certified 3x Platinum album “Short n’ Sweet.” Last year, the release of Carpenter’s album catapulted her into superstardom, graduating from opening for Taylor Swift to selling out her own stadiums, due in no small part to her hit song “Espresso.” That is to say that “Man’s Best Friend” had a lot to live up to, and while it had some great songs, it ultimately failed to live up to its pop powerhouse of a predecessor. In Carpenter’s own words, “how special to make something out of pure inspiration and zero pressure. I don’t think I’ve had greater memories making something before.” “Man’s Best Friend” was never about living up to the impossible standards of “Short n’ Sweet,” but instead creating something fun and catchy—which it definitely accomplished.

“Man’s Best Friend” was hit with its first wave of controversy when Carpenter released the album cover. On the original cover, the singer is on her hands and knees for a faceless man who is pulling her by the hair. The backlash prompted Carpenter to release an alternative cover that was “approved by God,” perhaps in reference to her 2024 controversy with the Catholic Church, but that’s a story for another day. While some see this album cover as demeaning or sexist, I cannot help but see Carpenter as a young woman, 25, who is taking charge of her own image through cheeky humor. Carpenter is no stranger to sexual humor in her songs. The 2024 hit “Juno” invited the man of Carpenter’s affections to “make me Juno” in reference to the 2007 movie of the same name about a pregnant high schooler. The second single from “Man’s Best Friend,” “Tears” references how the singer has “tears run down [her] thighs” when a man shows the bare minimum of respect towards her. At the end of the day, Carpenter’s music is a celebration of young womanhood. Again, in Carpenter’s words: “It’s laughing at yourself and your poor choices as everything is falling apart, it’s wondering how loyalty and love always get you back to third wheeling, spoken sarcastically like a true 25 year old!”

Arguably, the best songs from “Man’s Best Friend” are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. Carpenter’s playful humor combined with a Dolly Parton-esque country feel and ABBA-like synths create an atmosphere of pure fun. “Manchild,” the lead single, is the ultimate amalgamation of country, pop and disco, making it a great representation of what’s to follow. Here, Carpenter sings about the types of immature men she continuously chooses to be in relationships with. This style is in contrast to “Tears,” which leans more heavily into the disco-feel than country, but lyrically shows Carpenter shifting away from her manchild-exes and towards men with a sliver of decency. After “Tears,” however, the album loses a considerable amount of momentum. “My Man on Willpower,” “Sugar Talking,” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” bleed into each other, all of them having a breathy soft-pop production with none of the songs being particularly offensive nor noteworthy. “Nobody’s Son” gains momentum through a catchier melody but still fails to live up to the heights of “Manchild” or even “Tears” and is largely unremarkable.

It’s on the last third of the album that Carpenter gets back on track. “Go Go Juice” is a pop country banger with an incredibly catchy chorus. The song takes the listener through the journey of the singer getting drunk—on her go go juice—and dialling her exes. These exes, “could be John or Larry, gosh who’s to say? / Or the one that rhymes with ‘villain’ if I’m feelin’ that way,” possibly in a sly reference to Carpenter’s famous exes Shawn Mendes (“Taste,” “Coincidence,”) Barry Keoghan (“Bed Chem,”) Joshua Basset (“because i liked a boy”) and Dylan O’Brien respectively. Though my favorite part of the song has to be the bridge where Carpenter simulates what those drunk dials would sound like through rolling “ba-da-das” and somewhat nonsense lyrics such as “Bye, it’s me, hows mm call? Do you me still love?”

If “Go Go Juice” is the ultimate country song of this album, “House Tour” is its standout synth-pop theme, making this the best song in the album to just dance to. In the song, Carpenter makes a “promise none of this is a metaphor,” with “this” being references to waxing the floors, eating pineapple and inviting her guest to come inside. After listening, I can definitely agree that none of the song is a metaphor, and there is definitely no double meaning to any of the lyrics implying anything sexual in nature. “House Tour” is yet another example of Carpenter’s cheeky lyricism.

The album ends with the aptly titled song “Goodbye.” While disco has clearly been a huge inspiration for Carpenter and her team throughout the whole album, this song sounds the most like a tribute to ABBA, especially at the chorus. Even the piano glissando present at the three minute mark feels like a reference to “Dancing Queen.” Naming the song “Goodbye” is a great way to end an album. After all, once you finish listening to these twelve songs, you are saying goodbye to “Man’s Best Friend.” Given the cacophony of instruments present in “Goodbye,” especially compared to the rest of the album, there’s gravitas to the song that adds a sense of finality. And, of course, it brings together the narrative of the album. Carpenter’s done being pulled around in this relationship, being broken up with, and getting back together again and he’s “losing me forever.”

“Man’s Best Friend” is an album that celebrates Carpenter’s silly, humorous side, but does not quite stick the landing with the more emotional ballads. When interviewed about this album versus “Short n’ Sweet,” Carpenter mentioned how the latter was formulated to be a perfect pop album over the course of almost three years, whereas “Man’s Best Friend” was more of an expression of the singer. “Man’s Best Friend” is definitely not a perfect album, but few albums are. If you’re looking for a good time, maybe you want to hang out with friends and hear about 21st century dating woes, “Man’s Best Friend” is the perfect album for you. It’s fun in all the right places, full of catchy choruses and bridges, and whatever secret sauce Jack Antonoff, a producer on this album, adds to continually make hit pop songs. And if you’re hungry for more Sabrina Carpenter, she’s featured on Taylor Swift’s next album in the titular song “The Life of a Showgirl.”