With Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter proves she is not just following up her breakout Short n’ Sweet — she is cementing herself as one of pop’s sharpest, funniest, and most daring voices. Across twelve tracks, she balances wit, sensuality, and sonic experimentation with a confidence that few of her peers can match. The result is a record that critics are calling one of the year’s most entertaining and best-crafted pop albums.

Carpenter leans fully into the spirit of sex and comedy, delivering nonstop one-liners and outrageous scenarios that make the album riotously funny while still emotionally resonant. Songs like “House Tour” turn innuendo into art, with lyrics that wink and tease, while “Tears” blends disco grooves with biting humor about intimacy and emotional connection. Even when she is being outrageous, Carpenter grounds her performances in real feeling, creating an addictive mix of hilarity and heart.

While Short n’ Sweet established her as a household name, Man’s Best Friend feels like a deeper artistic arrival. With excellent instrumentation, unexpected hooks, and fearless complexity, Sabrina is in the running for pop’s best in show. Each song feels tightly woven yet playfully unpredictable, bursting with clever wordplay and inventive production choices. Collaborators Jack Antonoff, Amy Allen, and John Ryan help Carpenter shape a sound that nods to ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and Diana Ross, yet still feels uniquely hers.

Carpenter’s voice carries the album’s mix of sass and sincerity. Tracks like “Manchild” and “Sugar Talking” showcase her ability to flip between coquettish jokes and raw vulnerability with ease. From the sparkling disco of “Tears,” to the cheeky storytelling of “House Tour,” to the soulful sway of “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry,” Man’s Best Friend offers no skips. Each track plays with form and expectation, whether through slyly shifting melodies or bursts of genre experimentation. Every song feels considered, clever, and entertaining.

Man’s Best Friend isn’t just a worthy follow-up — it’s a declaration that Sabrina Carpenter is operating at the height of her powers. By blending comedy and craft, pop instincts, and idiosyncratic weirdness, she’s made an album that feels both timeless and of-the-moment. Endlessly addictive, laugh-out-loud funny, and musically daring, Man’s Best Friend is pop at its most joyful and inventive.

Rating: 8.5/10

By: Sam Buckel

September 3, 2025