Hello, and welcome back to “Footnotes,” a monthly album review column hosted exclusively on The Trumpet’s website!
My name is Matty Lamp. I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Trumpet, and I LOVE listening to music, collecting CDs, and vinyl records.
For September 2025, I am covering a highly-anticipated album that stirred a bit of controversy during the lead up to its release…
“Man’s Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter dropped late last month, and it was an immediate add to my library. I was smitten by “Short n Sweet,” and the big question on a lot of fan’s minds (or, at least on mine) was “How is she going to compete with this?” I mean, the pop-perfect project easily became the girly soundtrack of the summer last year and even won THREE Album of the Year awards.
In my opinion, “Man’s Best Friend” showed us that Sabrina is neither a one-trick pony nor an old dog. She somehow found a way to reinvent the magic of her previous album with new musical stylings while continuing her signature witty, cheeky lyricism.
Without further ado, here is my review of every song off of “Man’s Best Friend!”
“Manchild”
Right off the bat, we’re greeted by her lead single. When you hear her scoff and say “oh, boy,” you know she’s about to deliver a scathing but bubbly diss track. She lists out her many grievances with her lazy, unobservant partner alongside a plucky 80s synth, which leads into “there’s a cuter word for it, I know! Manchild.” Sabrina keeps up the pace throughout the song and sets the tone for the album by pulling out a call-and-response in the bridge. She wants us to relate to her frustrations with love and even join in the fun. That’s all you can do is laugh about it, right?
(Also, you can tell she picked up a thing or two from Dolly Parton, and I need to lock in and learn the dance before I go to karaoke next time!)
“Tears”
If you think “Tears” is the album’s slow ballad, you couldn’t be any more wrong. It’s a fun disco track that you probably shouldn’t play around your grandma, but you can’t help but chuckle at her tongue-in-cheek requests for her current man that can be seen as almost pathetic because of how common they should be (respecting women, calling her back, assembling furniture that comes with instructions, etc.)
In terms of the song paired with the music video (which was an homage to “Rocky Horror Picture Show,”) I very much need a Sabrina Carpenter Halloween Special. I am thoroughly grooving to this song, and I need to wear a costume while I do it.
“My Man on Willpower”
A softer, but still upbeat track that acts as a transition from laughing at her exes’ incompetence and being self-aware of her own desperation to feeling insecure about her partner becoming emotionally unavailable and discarding her. Again, you can hear the country influence with the fiddles and lap steel featured in the background (which I think is a fun touch, but a lot of people disagree). While I don’t think it’s a standout compared to the other songs on the album, it’s still a pleasant listen.
“Sugar Talking”
I would say this is the first slow song on the album, but just like the other songs, there’s a groove that makes you move in your seat as you digest it. This might sound crazy, but I almost hear a bit of Fleetwood Mac in this (think “Oh Daddy.”) Sabrina also has a bit of a country twang in this one.
Continuing the saga, Sabrina is fed up with her partner making empty promises to her and trying to buy her love. Personally, if I heard “You’re havin’ these epiphanies/Big word for a real small mind/And aren’t you tired of saying a whole lot of nothing?” I think I would have to just take the L and leave the city. Get ‘em!
“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night”
Another slow track with an immersive buildup. This song is a wistful reflection into her toxic relationship while it’s still happening. She goes through the same cycle of bad things happening (apologies being said, shallow reconnection, telling their friends that they’re getting back together) just to do it all over again.
The bridge is really beautiful with the flourishing trumpets and violins, and I’m sure this will make someone in the crowd cry if they hear her sing this live. Plus, I love a key change!
“Nobody’s Son”
I can definitely see why this became a fan favorite. “Nobody’s Son” leans back on the perky 80s-inspired instrumentation of songs like “15 Minutes” from “Short n Sweet” deluxe, while switching up the pace to make it sad but oddly joyful. The chorus is insanely catchy, and I swear Sabrina put something stronger than sugar in this album.
Speaking of, what’s a Sabrina heartbreak anthem without a fun bridge to save the day with some comedic relief? If you find yourself lagging, scrub to 2:10 in this song for a western-themed wake-up call.
“Never Getting Laid”
Speaking of waking up, don’t listen to this song if you want something high-energy. “Never Getting Laid” slips you immediately into a soft, silky R&B mood featuring Sabrina’s very honest and hilarious thoughts on her ex post-breakup.
The second verse in particular got me on my first listen, and I think she has an interesting way of cramming complex emotions into her lyrics while keeping a jokey disposition (which is seen in her chorus: “Baby, I’m not angry/Love you just the same/I just hope you get agoraphobia some day”). Another Sabrina hit!
“When Did You Get Hot?”
In the running for my favorite of the album. We’re off to the races on a mysterious and sexy ’90s girl-group beat while Sabrina delivers her standard euphemisms and tells her girls about showing up to a function and being taken aback by an awkward man’s glow-up. This song, while short, is definitely memorable with its melody and riffs, and I need to see Sabrina utilize this sound more often.
(P.S.: Sabrina, I NEED to know who Devin is. For science, of course.)
“Go Go Juice”
Another fan favorite spotted! Sabrina has never made drowning your sorrows sound so cutesy.
She brings us to the honky tonk to tell us about the boys who will have the misfortune of hearing from her tonight (here’s some homework: if you listen, all of the names she lists rhyme with the names of her public exes. How fun!) Once we hit the bridge, we’re swinging back and forth with her and the girls on the countertop, not a care to be found.
“Man’s Best Friend” as a whole has such a rich sound, and “Go Go Juice” is one of those songs that feels so much like a soundscape that you may miss some of her little quips on your first listen. I’m sure this one will be fun to see her perform, and I can imagine the set as we speak!
“Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry”
The slowest song on the album (and arguably most devastating.) Sabrina shows up with a plan on how she will be making this hypothetical man deeply insecure in their relationship (but really, the acts she lists are most likely things that her partners have done to her in the past.)
She talks about giving him mixed signals, never calling him, and making him lose sleep (“But on the 40-minute drive home/You’re internalizing my jokes/And your mother even agrees/That emotional lottery is all you’ll ever get with me”). Brutal. Such an enchanting song, though.
“House Tour”
Our sobbing gets interrupted by Sabrina popping in a jazzercise tape in an effort to cheer us up. We are transported to a bright and colorful Barbie world where Sabrina is finishing up a dinner date. Sabrina, who canonically lives on “Pretty Girl Avenue,” describes her house to her date excitedly and in great detail (which she SWEARS is not a metaphor and she is just eager to show you around.)
Really, she gave us a funky new girly theme song to sing along to, and I want to know how many realtors have already started using this song in their marketing.
“Goodbye”
The antithesis of the “Short n Sweet” closing track, “Don’t Smile.” Sabrina opens up to this decadent ABBA-inspired opera where she decides to give her former lover a wonderful and biting send-off.
With how many languages were featured in this track, there’s no way he didn’t get the memo. He is somewhere punching the air and throwing up while Sabrina does a line dance to the gorgeous sound of strings and brass in a cotton candy-colored bar in the middle of the desert. We probably won’t get a music video for this one, but I NEED one. Who do I write a letter to?
Overall, “Man’s Best Friend” is a contender for my favorite album of this year. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect besides the sound I heard on “Manchild,” but the other songs on this album blew that out of the water.
I really fell in love with the depth of the production on this album. Compared to “Short n Sweet,” this album felt so much more lush, and I love how she took inspiration from genres like Country and R&B and put her own spin on them while keeping the sound of the album cohesive. Plus, I am always here for Sabrina’s charming takes on relationships and self-discovery. With that, I will be rating this album an 8.75/10.
That’s all for now! If you have any suggestions for which album I should review next, email us at [email protected]. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next month!
