Image Credit: Island Records

Attuning with Sabrina Carpenter’s own writing, let me be blunt. This album was at first… okay.

Having already preordered Man’s Best Friend on vinyl, presaved to my Spotify and defended the controversial album cover to the cynics of the internet – my hopes were indeed high. Carpenter had to compete with her own colossal success, and I’m still not entirely convinced she won. 

Before I continue, allow me to assure you, I thoroughly enjoyed the album. It is 38 minutes of undeniable hilarity and a funky disco beat we’d yet to see the 26-year-old explore. The 12 tracks had me two-stepping to misandry, but they didn’t all wow me. Man’s Best Friend hasn’t held me in an absolute chokehold like its older, flirtier and more popular sister, Short n’ Sweet. Perhaps a reinvention of the wheel.

However, I do believe in the growers of the world (wink wink). After eight, back-to-back listens, I’d either found comfort in familiarity or genuinely started to enjoy the music. Despite a lack of novelty throughout the album I must give credit where it’s due – Carpenter’s sultry, provocative lyricism makes for a rollercoaster of a listen. If there’s one thing she can do, it’s make a girl blush, whether it be regretful mothers scrambling to close YouTube or teenagers who have been missing their own generational sex symbol. From the first “Oh boy” to the last ‘Goodbye’, Carpenter certainly intended to cause a commercial commotion. 

Many of the songs feature sassy swipes at male incompetence juxtaposed with an appreciation for their physical form. Is Carpenter daring to suggest all that men are good for is shutting up and looking pretty? Who on earth would objectify the opposite sex in such a– Oh yes, my mistake ladies, it’s time to flip the script. 

“Congratulations on your new improvements

I bet your light rod’s like bigger than Zeus’

Hey, wait, can you lift my car with your hand?

You were an ugly kid, but you’re a sexy man”

When Did You Get Hot? – Sabrina Carpenter

The true innovation lies not with her words (and those of her co-writers: Jack Antanoff, Amy Allen and Jack Ryan) but in Carpenter’s sudden case of disco fever, blitzed with her Pennsylvanian charm. Clearly inspired by the likes of 70s icon ABBA, country titaness Dolly Parton and homage paid to the fantastical Rocky Horror Show, Sabrina’s sonic reinvention proved addictive. The instrumentation is extensive, as she relayed to Sirius XM “we sample so many different sort of real live sounds, and then there’s so many live solos on this album. There’s two guitar solos I love. There’s a fiddle solo. I play the banjo on this album.” 

So, despite not having a groundbreaking impact on the industry, this album has certainly marked a significant change in Carpenter’s 11-year-long career. From Disney Channel’s rising star, to heartbroken “homewrecker” and eventually a household name dancing on the tip of our tongues.

Regardless of divided opinion, the album has largely been a success after ‘Manchild’ earned Carpenter her second-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album successively brought the most single-day streams for a female artist this year. On top of its domestic success, the album debuted No. 1 on the UK albums chart. Who am I to minimize the achievements of a woman dominating an industry long overdue a shakeup? For now, I will continue to twirl around my kitchen as Carpenter takes me to the “first, second, third floor” and hope her next venture brings the emotional depth seen with her previous albums. 

Carpenter is here for a fun time and indeed a long time.