After the success of her hit album, Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter continues to make her mark in the music industry.

Carpenter released her highly anticipated album, Man’s Best Friend, on August 29, 2025, despite receiving backlash on the raunchy album cover.

When Carpenter unveiled the album cover this past summer, which showed her on her hands and knees getting her hair tugged by a suited man, the internet went into an uproar.

“For someone who keeps calling men PIGS, she keeps degrading herself to appeal to the male gaze,” a user wrote on X.

Carpenter’s catchy pop anthems are mainly geared towards young women as they often explore heartbreak, women’s empowerment and self-identity. So some fans might have taken offense to the cover because it contradicts what Carpenter stands for. However, as with most heated debates, there are always two sides with several fans coming to Carpenter’s defense.

“Pop stars aren’t ‘risky and fearless’ anymore because people right this moment can barely even handle Sabrina Carpenter getting her hair tugged on an album cover,” another user wrote on X.

Society has evolved from pop stars being comfortable in their own skin to being scrutinized more than ever, which is due to the rise and impact of social media.

In an interview with Gayle King during CBS Mornings, Carpenter addressed the backlash by responding, “Y’all need to get out more, I think. Between me, my friends, my family and the people that I always share my music and my art with first, it just wasn’t even a conversation… It was just, like, it’s perfect for what the album is, and what it represents.”

Carpenter has since released various alternative covers, with the final version featuring a special bonus track titled Such A Funny Way, which is only available on vinyl.

Now that the formalities are over, the brief overview of the album that has everyone in a frenzy will begin.

The album features 12 songs which are: Manchild, Tears, My Man on Willpower, Sugar Talking, We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night, Nobody’s Son, Never Getting Laid, When Did You Get Hot?, Go Go Juice, Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry, House Tour and Goodbye.

However, Manchild, Never Getting Laid and Tears will be the primary focus in this review.

At first glance, before taking a listen to the album, the cheeky song titles do come as a surprise and are, in fact, questionable; however, you never know what you’re expecting from the 5-foot-tall songstress.

Manchild kicked off the album and serves as the lead single. Carpenter co-wrote and co-produced it with Jack Antonoff, the lead singer of the rock band Bleachers. 

Antonoff has created sounds and songs for notable artists such as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa  and Lana Del Rey. This isn’t the first time Antonoff and Carpenter have worked together, as they had previously on Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet album.

With Manchild, the pair brought back the synth-pop sound experimented with in Carpenter’s past album, but they also added a hint of southern twang that is mixed throughout this album. The song single-handedly takes a jab at desperate and immature men with lyrics such as, ‘Won’t you let an innocent woman be? Never heard of self-care. Half your brain just ain’t there.’

Further into the album, Carpenter turns her experience with heartbreak into something witty and comical on Never Getting Laid. As Carpenter belts out the chorus of ‘Baby, I’m not angry. I love you just the same. I just hope you get agoraphobia some day. And all your days are sunny (Sunny from your windowpane). From your windowpane. I wish you a lifetime full of happiness. And a forever of never getting laid,’ it shows that although she’s entirely not healed from this breakup, she still wishes the person happiness, however, just not what they’re expecting to get! (Sorry to whoever this song is about.)

Lastly, the song features a soulful vibe in the background, popularized in the contemporary R&B genre. Hopefully, Carpenter explores more with that sound in the future.

What better way to end this review than with the catchy tune Tears, which featured the award-winning actor Colman Domingo in the extravagant music video? Carpenter didn’t hold back on sharing her inner desires in this song. She expects a man to treat her the way she wants to be treated and nothing less.

This serves as a reminder for others to value themselves in that same regard. The song also featured sounds of house music which is widely popular in ballroom culture.

The music video showcased Carpenter’s stellar acting skills as she discovers a haunted house. Terrified, she cautiously opens the door only to be met with the glamour of ballroom culture and disco.

Colman Domingo, one of the most prominent figures in the queer community, is shown in drag for the first time. The video features a choreographed dance performance between the pair and was also heavily inspired by the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

Despite the controversy of the album cover, Carpenter didn’t let that diminish the release of this bold and experimental album. With it debuting at No.1 on the Billboard charts, the shock value of the cover definitely worked out in her favor.

Give it a listen if you’re feeling at your worst or need to gain power back from a failed relationship, it is guaranteed to make you feel like a powerful entity.

Grade: 8.5/10