Man's Worst Nightmare

By: Johnny Decker

Her "Short n' Sweet" Era was well... short and sweet. Sabrina Carpenter released her highly anticipated album "Man's Best Friend" on Friday August 29, 2025. The album cover sparked controversy all over the internet, leaving many to believe there were offensive themes attached while others saw their reactions as overdramatic. Whether you liked the album cover or not, people could not stop talking about it. While her contemporaries in the industry were playing it safe, Carpenter took a risk on her career by using an album cover with problematic elements.

Her first single off of "Man's Best Friend" was "Manchild" which debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, with 310+ million listeners on Spotify, the singer released her second single titled "Tears" on August 29, 2025.

Sabrina Carpenter with Duran Duran, Olivia Dean, Clairo at BST Hyde Park on Sunday, July 6, 2025/Raph_PH

Carpenter was working late because she is a singer. There was probably a lot of "Espresso" needed to create this album within less than a year. There were sexually empowering themes, heartbreak, and

elements of 1970s disco, funk and country rock which set the stage for a retro vibe in this project. Carpenter was inspired by the works of Dolly Parton, ABBA and the Queen of Disco Donna Summer. If you are looking to listen to songs related to exes, complexities in a relationship, along with amusing intimate moments, this album should hopefully meet your taste.

Half of the album is full of flirtatious groovy tunes while the other half is emotional with what it feels like to be human and to experience a departure of a relationship. Similarly to her previous work of "Short n' Sweet" with country elements, Carpenter still carries the same musical tunes, but it is amplified with more of a 1970s sound to it.

The track "House Tour" is all that you want in a funk and pop-disco song. It's as Sabrina as you can get with whispers reflecting dominant flirtation. Just shy of three minutes, it takes you to a trance on a discotheque journey filled with instrumentals with glittery sounds and syncopated "chicken scratch" guitars. After a long week this is the song to dance to in the clubs, at a party or in your living room.

Adding on to Carpenter's wit and humor in her seventh track "Never Getting Laid" she sings about wishing her ex the best, however, only in an anxious state such as the lyrics, "I love you just the same, I just hope you get agoraphobia someday and all your days are sunny from your windowpane." This is another one of Carpenter's country songs with heartbreak attached to sarcastic and witty remarks.

The title itself "Man's Best Friend" is sarcastic considering her lead single "Manchild" and other tracks such as "Don't Worry I'll Make You Worry" and "Nobody's Son." What makes Sabrina Carpenter standout in the music industry is her contrast as an artist. She is a 4'11" blonde-haired woman with empowering and witty sexual innuendos. Her stage presence has also been deemed problematic because it does not match her perceived innocent image. Is this a Man's Worst Nightmare to listen to?

Tracklist:

1. Manchild

2. Tears

3. My Man on Willpower

4. Sugar Talking

5. We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night

6. Nobody's Son

7. Never Getting Laid

8. When Did You Get Hot?

9. Go Go Juice

10. Don't Worry I'll Make You Worry

11. House Tour

12. Goodbye