4/5 Stars

I’ve been following Sabrina Carpenter’s music career ever since her hit 2021 album Emails I Can’t Send, so when I heard that the “Espresso” artist was releasing a new album, you know I was there for it. Carpenter’s most recent studio album, Man’s Best Friend, came out on Aug. 29, and its 11 songs  pull inspiration from ’80s Euro-pop, country twang, and disco pop. 

Starting off the album, you’ll find a mix of the aforementioned country twang and synth pop in her lead single, “Manchild.” It was released early, on June 6, with a  satirical and trailer-esque music video, and personally one of my favorite music videos from her, due to Carpenter’s ability to express a complex and nuanced view on her love-life within the multitude of fast-paced clips.

At first listen, I wasn’t immediately drawn to some tracks on the album. Songs like “Never Getting Laid” and “Go Go Juice” sounded very familiar to her album released last year, Short and Sweet, but as I listened to them a few times, I recognized the distinctions between the two, with Man’s Best Friend having more country and R&B influences that show the improvement in   Carpenter’s production range. It definitely needs a few more listens to be able to understand the full scope of Carpenter’s music, though. 

The album’s best song, in my opinion, is “When Did You Get Hot?” Carpenter’s funk and dance-pop instrumental, along with the song’s cheeky lyrics, create a fun and catchy tune that got stuck in my head immediately after listening to it. Strangely enough, the outro of the track was my favorite part, as the fadeout is very reminiscent of early 2000s R&B, giving me a wave of nostalgia. 

Another phenomenal song is track four, “Sugar Talking.” The song takes on a slower pace than the rest of the album, blending slow jam and country blues. The best way to describe this track is Carpenter’s confident and successful spin on R&B and soul songwriter Marvin Gaye, as the track takes on a style similar to Gaye’s motown, vintage fifties production. Carpenter shifts to more melancholic lyrics that meld well with the strong instrumentation. 

Man’s Best Friend shows Carpenter’s ability to create a well written and produced album in only a year’s time. The album’s flirty and boldly vulgar lyrics along with impressive production cement Carpenter’s brand and voice as one of the most distinct in pop music today.