Sabrina Carpenter released her brand new album Man’s Best Friend just over one year after her previous hit-filled album, Short n’ Sweet, dominated the charts for weeks. The official album release came on August 29, 2025 along with a music video for the album’s second single “Tears.”
Since the album’s release, many have taken to social media to express their opinions. They differ, with some saying the album is a perfect follow up to the record breaking Short n’ Sweet, while others think it doesn’t have as much hit potential as her last project. Many thought that she should’ve waited longer before releasing another album because the last one was so impactful. After all, just one week after the release of Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter attended the Video Music Awards where she accepted the Best Album award for Short n’ Sweet. Maya Henessy (’26) says, “I love her new album, however I do not think that it will be able to get the same hype that Short n’ Sweet did. Short n’ Sweet just skyrocketed so much and I think it would be difficult for any artist to make something better right away.”
The album’s direction is slightly different from some fans’ expectations, especially towards the end of the record where she takes a lot of inspiration from pop bands of the 70s and 80s like ABBA, giving the record much more of a retro-pop vibe, different from the R&B and country pop inspired beats of her last project. You can hear this retro sound particularly on the last track of the album “Goodbye,” during the breaks in the first verse where she throws in a playful “ah-ha.” Jack Chiaravalle (’26) feels like the album is “a little more lyrically mature,” and “the songs feel less like cookie-cutter pop hits” than her last project, causing the songs to resonate more deeply with him.
Despite the negative feedback the album has been garnering, it has been championing the charts, debuting at number one and having three singles in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. After its first week, every song on the album was in the top 100 of the global Spotify charts, an indication that the album may have longevity, despite what many fans may believe. Chiaravalle thinks it is “definitely possible” that this album will have similar success to Short n’ Sweet, mainly because the audios of her songs, particularly “Nobody’s Son” and “House Tour” are already circulating all over social media.

Though Henessy thought the lead single “Manchild” was very catchy and “totally speaks to Sabrina Carpenter’s style,” her favorite song on the album is “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” because she could feel Carpenter’s emotion in the song and could deeply understand the meaning. Chiaravalle on the other hand believes “‘Manchild’ fell a little flat” and he would have preferred to see the lead single to be a more exciting song like “Tears,” his favorite song, because of its “strong pop anthem” potential.
The album received a lot of criticism before it was even released. When Carpenter announced it and posted the cover art on her social media, she got ridiculed for the message and imagery portrayed. Many fans took to social media to share their feelings about the album cover saying it was anti-feminist and degrading to women. Chiaravalle “finds it strange that people are seeing it as misogynistic rather than focusing on the fact that it is a commentary on misogyny.” In fact, he actually believes that the cover was an intentional choice to get more eyes on the project before its release.
Carpenter’s response to the backlash was to release a series of alternate covers available on vinyl, one titled the “approved by god” edition. Henessy believes that the extra exclusive covers are helpful for vinyl collectors who want a wider variety but “it is not her job to change how she wants her album aesthetic to look to make everyone happy.” She also released a public statement on the matter, urging her critics to “touch grass” because the artwork refers to an experience of control in her life that her true fans would understand.
Before the album’s announcement she had a few ways of alluding to it that were unique for fans to figure out. She started by putting up billboards reading, “I swear they chose me I’m not choosing them” and “Hey Men” in different cities around the U.S., lyrics from “Manchild” that were a prelude to its announcement.
After the release of “Manchild” and the announcement of Man’s Best Friend she continued to promote the album including releasing the album’s tracklist on her PR instagram account through photos of her golden retriever puppy sitting on a chair with the track title behind him. All of the public input and marketing for the album gave it an extremely strong first week of sales. Chiaravalle thinks “the promo for this album has reached a much wider audience,” due to the success of her last album and that has caused it to “garner more criticism from people outside of her direct target audience.”
Carpenter says the message behind the album is clear: it takes you through the process of a heartbreak and explores disappointment and self-reflection. She describes the album as a diary entry, a way to process mistakes in love and life, rather than being spiteful, and hopes her fans will have the same feelings about it after listening.