Album Review: Sabrina Carpenter's "Man’s Best Friend"

Sabrina Carpenter’s 7th studio album is a disco-country fever dream in the best way

Sabrina Carpenter’s 7th studio album, Man’s Best Friend is a whirlwind that features disco beats dusted with fiddles, banjos and pedal steel. She delivers an effervescent mix that subtly celebrates all the divas who came before her, from Dolly to Donna and everyone in between. Playful, cheeky and unmistakably Sabrina, the record is a genre-bending masterpiece that still manages to feel cohesive.

Sabrina has never been one to shy away from risk, but this project pushes her further than ever—folding together the sequined joy of ’70s disco, the maximalist pop drama of the ’80s, and the yearning nature of country music. But she doesn’t borrow aesthetics; she expertly weaves them into a sound that feels at once retro and brand new. The production by Jack Antonoff is a great example of a recent trend called nostalgia stacking: mixing a disco bassline meets honky-tonk riffs, giving us something that feels like the past and the future at the same time.

Standout Songs & Moments

• Manchild: A perfect intro track featuring country-inspired guitar riffs that meet disco beats, setting the sonic tone for the whole album. The cinematic video, packed with references, shows off both Sabrina’s film knowledge and disdain for men.

• Tears: The spiciest track serves disco club energy with tongue-in-cheek innuendos. Colman Domingo stars in a Rocky Horror-style video (above), while the sound nods to Donna Summer at her peak.

• My Man on Willpower: Opens with unapologetically 80s Madonna-esque synths. One of the most relatable tracks, capturing the moment when guys’ egos kick in and suddenly work is the only thing that matters. Big “I don’t have time for a girlfriend, I’m building my empire” energy.

• Sugar Talking: A slower, R&B-leaning bop that feels closest to “old-school Sabrina.” It’s about being sweet-talked after a fight, landing somewhere between empowerment and sadness.

• We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night: An almost-ballad with strong musical-theatre DNA. It could slide into Grease next to “Hopelessly Devoted.”

• Nobody’s Son: A melancholy breakup song about being the perpetual third wheel while everyone else is in love. Another track that leans slower but still cuts deep.

• Never Getting Laid: A witty, R&B-tinged revenge track with one of the album’s best one-liners: “Wish you a lifetime full of happiness and a forever of never getting laid.” Cheeky, clever and quintessentially Sabrina.

• When Did You Get Hot?: A sultry, playful cut in the vein of Ariana Grande’s thank u, next era. R&B influences again shine through here.

• Go Go Juice: The soundtrack to my next girls’ night. A wine-fueled singalong with the perfectly delivered line: “Ain’t nobody safe when I’m a little bit drunk.”

• Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry: Self-deprecating and very funny, this one’s about being bad at dating and knowing it with lines like “And I’ll never call you right back / But when I do, I’m making you laugh”

• House Tour: The most fun song on the record. Upbeat, disco-leaning, and irresistibly catchy, it could slate perfectly into a 90s rom-com shopping montage.

• Goodbye: A grand, ABBA-inspired closer with big disco drama. It channels the joy of driving away from a toxic relationship, while showing off the deeper, smokier end of Carpenter’s vocals. The perfect cherry on top of a fun, playful album.

What makes Man’s Best Friend one-of-a-kind is not just its genre play, but its emotional precision. Carpenter has crafted an album that can soundtrack both a glittery night out and the lonely comedown after. It challenges egos and pokes fun at heartbreak. In a haze of disco glamour, country storytelling and pop melodrama, she’s staked a claim as one of the few artists who can expertly wield humor alongside both heartache and high camp. No notes!