August 29, 2025, marked the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh album, “Man’s Best Friend.” This piece was hyped up for months since she officially announced it on Instagram in June of 2025, following the success of her last album, “Short n’ Sweet.” That album consisted of multiple catchy pop songs that sat at the top of Billboard charts for weeks, were named “songs of the summer,” and trended on social media for months. “Short n’ Sweet” was that girl. So of course, it was expected that “Man’s Best Friend” would meet or surpass the quality of the previous album. But as a Sabrina Carpenter fan myself, I am disappointed to say that the album just didn’t live up to the hype.
“Songs off the new album like ‘Tears’ or ‘When Did You Get Hot?’ are covered in risky lyrics with a mediocre beat that tries way too hard to go viral.”
One of the many reasons behind my dislike of the album is the fact that it is so sexualized. From the controversial cover to the lyrics, the album is almost overloaded with sexual content. This theme can also be found in “Short n’ Sweet,” which is dense in sexual humor as well. The difference is that it was new and iconic then. We had never seen a bigger shift from heartbreaks to hookups in one artist—and done in such a way that it was enjoyable to listen to. Now, it is not. Songs off the new album like “Tears” or “When Did You Get Hot?” are coated in risky lyrics with a mediocre beat that tries way too hard to go viral.
What’s the Point?
On the topic of mediocre beats, the sounds and production of each individual song do not correspond with each other. Each song sounds like a copy of another or a completely different genre than what the album is trying to achieve. Instead of pop princess, it’s more like a big hot mess. Songs like “My Man on Willpower” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” are copy-and-pastes of each other—somber guitar songs with messages such as heartbreak or love. On the other hand, songs like “House Tour” and “Goodbye” are two totally different genres. “House Tour” is a fun hip-hop song, while “Goodbye” has a big band sound with guitar and horns that give the song a cathartic feeling and a timeless vibe. With this being said, it is hard for listeners to see the whole point of the album. There is no specific sound to it nor specific message Sabrina is trying to put across.
“Her lyrics in both songs sound like they were written five minutes before she arrived at the studio to finally finish recording.”
There are pros and cons to everything. If the cons were to be songs off of the new record, there would be about two releases that I just cannot stand—those being “Tears” and “When Did You Get Hot?” These songs, as I stated before, are overly explicit in every wrong way possible. “Tears” gives an ode to the disco aesthetic with the backing music, but the lyrics are what make it so unbearable to listen to. In summary, Carpenter explains how she finds it attractive when men do the bare minimum in relationships. This message is shallow, and whether that’s the point or not, it ultimately is a degrading theme to share and want others to relate to. “When Did You Get Hot?” is another piece of music that has no depth at all. Carpenter’s message is initially about how someone grew and became captivating in her eyes to the point where she wants relations with that person. These songs are the definition of superficial and mediocre. Her lyrics in both songs sound like they were written five minutes before she arrived at the studio to finally finish recording.
5/10
I would be lying if I said that there aren’t any good songs on MBF. I especially like “Nobody’s Son” and “Go Go Juice,” where both of these songs have a light, summer vibe to them. “Nobody’s Son” is a fun song. It has an energetic, late-70s disco beat with Carpenter’s backup vocals and relatable lyrics to add depth to the song as a whole. To me, “Go Go Juice” is almost the exact same. The difference is in the sound. “Go Go Juice” is an exciting, pop-country tune that seems to be Carpenter’s strong suit when creating her Billboard-bound music. That is the issue with Man’s Best Friend, however. I constantly felt like I had to skip ten other songs to find these two hidden gems.
At the end of the day, all we [pop music fans] can do is wonder what is next. Will there be another flop? Or will Carpenter shock the world again? No one would ever know. What I do know is that this album just did not meet my standards. With the clear unorganization, confusing sounds, and frivolous messages, it remains to me that Man’s Best Friend is Man’s Best Fail.
