How did Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’ get snubbed at this year’s Grammys with 6 nominations?
Review: Carpenter’s popular seventh studio album is pop with bite — glossy, self-aware, and sharply honest
By Grace Bonamico
Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, is proof that pop music can be polished and playful without sacrificing emotional depth. Even though it didn’t take home trophies at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, the album’s six nominations, including four for its lead single, speak to just how strong and cohesive this era is. As a follow-up to Short n’ Sweet, the record doesn’t try to reinvent Carpenter’s sound so much as refine it, sharpening her wit and leaning harder into her confidence. The result is an album that feels flirty, funny, and quietly devastating in equal measure.
“Manchild” opens the album with immediate confidence. Built on disco-pop shimmered with a subtle country-tinged synth undercurrent, it’s impossible not to move along to it. Lyrically, Carpenter wastes no time establishing the album’s core theme: frustration with emotionally immature partners. The now-iconic line “Why so sexy if so dumb?” lands with a wink rather than venom, making the song feel less like a rant and more like a knowing laugh with friends after a bad date. Like “Espresso” before it, “Manchild” is engineered for replay, bold, catchy, and just biting enough to stick.
“Tears” keeps the disco energy alive but slides into something smokier. With a groove that feels lifted from a ’70s dance floor, the song humorously explores how basic emotional competence can suddenly feel thrilling after disappointment. Carpenter plays with irony here, delivering lines that sound sincere on the surface but carry a sharp awareness underneath. It’s confident, self-assured, and quietly funny, a track that highlights how low the bar can feel after heartbreak.
On “My Man on Willpower,” Carpenter dives headfirst into Eurodisco gloss. The production is bright and upbeat, almost deceptively so, given the emotional sting at the song’s center. She reflects on a partner who once couldn’t get enough of her but now prioritizes restraint and self-control over intimacy. That contrast, danceable production paired with emotional neglect, captures the whiplash of watching affection slowly fade while pretending everything’s fine.
“Sugar Talking” pulls things back, offering a slower, sultrier moment with R&B undertones. Here, Carpenter questions whether charm and grand promises can ever replace genuine effort. Her delivery is restrained and intimate, making the song feel like a late-night realization rather than a confrontation. It’s one of the album’s quieter moments, but its emotional clarity makes it linger.
With “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” Carpenter leans into drama, but the good kind. The pop ballad’s synth-heavy arrangement swells and recedes in tandem with the emotional push-and-pull of an unstable relationship. Her vocal performance shines here, capturing both longing and exhaustion as she sings about the cycle of almost leaving and always staying. It feels cinematic without tipping into melodrama, striking a careful emotional balance.
“Nobody’s Son” starts light, with playful synth lines, before gradually revealing its emotional weight. The song explores post-breakup disillusionment, that moment when optimism about love feels fragile but not fully gone. Carpenter sounds reflective rather than bitter, questioning her own expectations while still allowing the track to sparkle. It’s a thoughtful blend of pop brightness and emotional realism.
True to its title, “Never Getting Laid” is cheeky, self-aware, and surprisingly tender. Sultry verses give way to a pop-friendly chorus that keeps the frustration playful rather than resentful. Carpenter leans into humor as a coping mechanism here, turning romantic drought into something catchy and relatable instead of cynical.
“When Did You Get Hot?” stands out thanks to its distinct beat and confident, luscious tone. The track captures that specific moment of surprise attraction, when someone you’ve known suddenly becomes impossible to ignore. Carpenter’s vocal range is on full display, and the clever lyrics make the song feel flirtatious without being shallow.
If any song embodies pure pop joy, it’s “Go Go Juice.” The song is like adrenaline. Its infectious rhythm and sing-along chorus make it one of the album’s most fun moments, cementing that Carpenter has a knack for writing “girlie” anthems and songs that feel like inside jokes shared with the entire audience, and this is one of the best examples.
“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” slows things down again, settling into a more introspective pop mood. The lyrics are quietly vulnerable, reflecting on emotional uncertainty and the lingering effects of romantic highs and lows. It’s less flashy than other tracks, but its honesty gives it weight.
“House Tour” swings back to upbeat pop, pairing clever wordplay with undeniable catchiness. The song’s cheeky refusal to hide behind metaphor, including the now-viral “do you want a house tour” verse, highlights Carpenter’s comfort with sexual agency and humor. It’s no surprise the track became a social media trend; it’s bold, playful, and unmistakably her.
Closing the album, “Goodbye” is the perfect send-off. Framed both as the end of a toxic or fading relationship and as a goodbye to the listener, it somehow manages to be upbeat, danceable, and emotionally satisfying at the same time. Carpenter’s final note, a gentle “get home safe,” is a small detail that leaves a lasting impression, wrapping the album in warmth as it says farewell.
Across Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter masterfully balances disco-inflected pop with sharp observations about love, disappointment, and independence. Whether she’s poking fun at immature partners, savoring small emotional victories, or embracing life on her own terms, the album feels cohesive, personal, and deeply relatable. Awards aside, Man’s Best Friend stands as one of Carpenter’s most confident and fully realized projects to date.
