Sabrina Carpenter’s success is anything but Short n’ Sweet, as she follows up her bombastic last album with yet another in the same year, the all-new Man’s Best Friend. Boasting an assortment of retro sounds and a smorgasbord of musical influences, it’s a light-hearted yet thought-provoking project that plays into Sabrina Carpenter as a caricature more than ever. This record writes a love letter to the many sounds under the pop umbrella, and hones in on what it means to play a role in love, life and the celebrity landscape.
Man’s Best Friend is primarily a break-up album which copes with the pain through dark, explicit humour. It grapples with how power dynamics and gender roles corrode conventional heterosexual relationships, especially when it comes to sex.
There’s no reviewing the album without acknowledging the controversial album cover, which depicts Sabrina on her knees held like a dog on a leash by a faceless man. Shot through a smoky 70s filter, the image highlights the expectations of subservience placed upon women throughout history. It could be a propaganda piece from the eras the music emulates, or a twisted modern image from today’s society which is increasingly affected by pornography and a rise in alt-right ideology. Then and now, women are objects, or literally “man’s best friend”, the female dog or the “b*tch”. Yet as the songs held within explore, no matter how hard Sabrina tries to please men in the ways the world tells her to, just like an obedient puppy, her “master” will never reward her with the emotional respect she craves, as any man inherently holds power over her under the patriarchy.
Not only is this album’s name and cover art clear social commentary, but it’s also to some extent purposeful ragebait. Generating outrageous imagery to purposefully provoke is a pop music tradition dating back to legends like Madonna, who’d stir up discussion to both progress society and gain coverage for their own art. In the celebrity world, all publicity is good publicity. A student of pop history like Sabrina Carpenter understands this fact. There is no right or wrong interpretation of the album’s branding, and any and every interpretation carries heavy weight in today’s heightened political climate.
As for the music itself, whilst the themes and emotions across Man’s Best Friend are extremely consistent, it explores a vast sonic palette of fun, nostalgic sounds. For the country lovers, Sabrina’s got her twang in full swing on tracks like ‘Goodbye’ and ‘My Man On Willpower’. The latter tackles a topic many are uncomfortable discussing. “My man’s in touch with his emotions/My man won’t touch me with a twenty-foot pole”, Sabrina sighs, diving into loss of sexual attraction in long-term relationships. She notes the challenge of finding a partner who can both provide for her feelings, and equally answer her sexual needs. The song is wordy and expressive, as is Sabrina’s speciality, but still upbeat thanks to its fluttering instrumentals and those trademark melismatic melodies.
‘Go-Go Juice’ is another Dolly Parton-esque standout within this country style. Its sparkling acoustic guitars carry a bittersweet narrative about numbing the pain of single life with alcohol. Sabrina makes silly, sly references to her rumoured past dating history with name drops and rhymes, and the lyrics are frequently nonsensical to recreate her tipsy state. The swinging bridge overflows with laughter and slurred, fragmented, even incomprehensible lines, as if chanted in a pumping late-night bar.
Those disco lovers out there can celebrate some new tracks within the genre from Sabrina with a “Shikita!”, the creative, made-up hiss that features prominently in the album’s new single ‘Tears’. Accompanied by a Rocky Horror inspired music video, this number cleverly shifts keys between tongue-in-cheek verses and a whipsmart hook, all about how emotional maturity can be a turn-on. The video also extends the violent themes of relationship push and pull which feature in the hit track ‘Manchild’ and the twangy closer ‘Goodbye’.
Similarly, instant fan favourite ‘House Tour’ would sound right at home on the Barbie soundtrack with its joyous disco approach. It’s coy and teasing, focusing on an extended metaphor of Sabrina’s body as her home (which she of course winkingly denies). Set on “Pretty Girl Avenue”, this sickeningly sweet tune stands out from the pack.
Longtime Carpenters who love the Singular music collection will love the R&B flair of ‘Sugar Talkin’. This sultry groove particularly shines in the jagged, sharp nature of the instrumental break. Later, ‘When Did You Get Hot’ sits in an utterly irresistible rhythmic pocket of trip-hop. Sabrina’s recent performances with Duran Duran and covers of songs by Rick James nod to this track, as well as her past opening slots and adoration for 2010s Ariana Grande. The song leans into valley girl flirtation and once more shows off her sense of humour. It also laughingly breaks the fourth wall leading up to its dramatic vocal riff in the second verse. The only issue is it’s so good, you’ll wish it didn’t end so soon!
Man’s Best Friend also offers up some sadder, more heartfelt moments for the emails i can’t send lovers. ‘We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night’ plays with innuendo and double meaning, much like recent Short n’ Sweet deluxe track ‘Couldn’t Make It Any Harder’, but its 70s ballad vibe shows off a floaty falsetto range that makes the honesty at the heart of the song shine through. Its conversational tone makes the final chorus’s key change all the more powerful. Similarly, ‘Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry’ provides a gentle, stripped-back moment with raw lyrics, perhaps one of the only times on this album that Sabrina becomes truly reflective without leaning into self-deprecation to soften the blow.
There’s even some totally new territory for Sabrina on the catchy ‘Nobody’s Son’, a rocksteady and reggae-tinged song that’s a standout right off the bat. The chorus’s strong, pulsing beat is lyrically complex but incredibly catchy. Jack Antonoff’s quirky synth production brightens the dark theme of losing all hope in men. Its bridge is sad and somber, but contrasted against a bright, cheerful melody that you won’t get out of your head. That contradiction is exactly what Sabrina does best again on the sugary and sarcastic ‘Never Getting Laid’, where the dreamy sound juxtaposes against fiery, emotionally charged storytelling, seeing Sabrina hope an ex is forever abstinent after her. Its brief theatrical finale nods to classic film endings, continuing to show how Sabrina’s work is strengthened thanks to her encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture history.
Sabrina Carpenter is more versatile than ever on Man’s Best Friend, and it’s obvious she’d love to hear you say so. But contrary to the title, this is definitely a record for the girls. This album’s wink-wink nudge-nudge style may seem simple on the surface, but it explores many feelings women might secretly truly have, beyond the assumption they can choose their own empowerment. It’s both satirical and sincere, feminist in how genuinely anti-feminist women can be to themselves, when it comes to the men they choose to keep around. In fact, Man’s Best Friend could be spun any way you like and shows Sabrina Carpenter can be anything you want her to be.
