Sabrina Carpenterdropped her 7th studio album, adding more good music to an impressive career. “Man’s Best Friend” was released on Friday, bringing with it lots of buzz and opinions.
Carpenter’s newest album, “Man’s Best Friend,” was surrounded by controversy before its release due to varying opinions around the album cover.
The album cover features Carpenter on her knees beside a faceless man holding her by the hair, drawing comparisons to how men treat women like dogs. The risque imagery sparked online criticism for depicting women in a submissive and powerless role.
Despite the powerless nature of her position and the obvious exploitation of the situation, Carpenter clarified that the cover is a commentary on how women are often reduced to having no power in a relationship, and how they are frequently aware of this.
“I think as a young woman you’re just as aware as when you’re in control as when you’re not … and I think it’s about knowing when you’re putting yourself in a situation that will end up poorly,” Carpenter said in an interviewwith CBS.
In her song “Lie to Girls” from her album “Short and Sweet,” Carpenter sticks with this motif by telling a man he does not have to lie to girls because they lie to themselves to try to salvage a relationship and convince themselves it’s fine.
“You don’t have to lie to girls / If they like you, they’ll just lie to themselves,” she sang.
Similar to “Lie to Girls,” “Man’s Best Friend” is composed heavily of songs critiquing the past men in Carpenter’s life and the ways they’ve hurt her, or the ridiculous personas they’ve displayed.
Carpenter’s single release from the album “Manchild” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, highlighted Carpenter’s ability to make a catchy pop hit with both stark and relatable lyrics.
“Man’s Best Friend” features many catchy hits fans have come to expect from Carpenter, with songs “Tears” and “House Tour” featuring a pop-synth beat and an upbeat chorus, similar to Espress” or “Taste” from her previous album.
Carpenter’s album also veers from her traditional pop classics, with certain songs dipping into different genres. “When Did You Get Hot?” features a sultry, R&B rhythm paired with smooth vocals.
Fans on TikTok compared the sound to classic ABBA, due to its stylized ‘80s beats. Carpenter’s final song on the album, “Goodbye,” uses piano and horn instruments in a way that is noticeably reminiscent of ABBA.
“Bed Chem” and “Juno,” two songs from her previous album, skyrocketed in popularity partly for their suggestive topics and promiscuous nature. Sabrina Carpenter continues the theme in “Man’s Best Friend,” including some classic innuendo-filled tracks.
“Treating me like you’re supposed to do / Tears run down my thighs,” Carpenter sang, in the chorus of “Tears.”
Although these sexual songs have created controversy in the past, from people who believe Carpenter’s cheeky performances contribute to women becoming overly sexualized. An idea noted by the BBC in its article, “Sabrina Carpenter to Taylor Swift: Why female pop stars embracing sex is still controversial in 2025.”
“Carpenter's album doesn't reveal anything that shocking – just a young woman exploring her sexuality and writing smart, funny and sometimes smutty lyrics about the realities of modern dating. So why all the fuss?” the BBC wrote.
The release of her newest album has already garnered attention, with media outlets BBC, Pitchfork, Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone and Forbes publishing commentary on the songs.
Last year, Carpenter was nominated for six Grammys and won two of them, earning her “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Best Pop Solo Performance” at the 67th Grammys.
It remains to be seen if “Man’s Best Friend” will receive the same type of acclaim, but each song on the album has already reached four million streams on Spotify, with most going above that.
Overall, “Man’s Best Friend” continued Carpenter’s theme of creating songs that are a mix of fun, flirty and heartfelt. Songs that comment on the duality of the dating scene and give a relatable picture for women dating modern men, and what that typically comes with.
