By Audrey Cueto
Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album Man’s Best Friend was released on August 29, 2025. It’s ultimately gained a lot of attention and an abundance of criticism online. This album dives into themes of heartbreak and vulnerability, with humor being the main way to convey these ideas. This album is noticeably more bold and has created a divided public reaction. When this album was announced, the cover art alone received a lot of backlash. Many listeners thought that it was “regressive” and reinforced harmful stereotypes towards women. Sabrina Carpenter, however, responded to this criticism by pointing out that the cover was just a metaphor for the underlying themes of the album. Although the lyrics were definitely raunchy at times, she still manages to delve into deeper meanings relating to herself and her relationships. Carpenter took the criticism lightly and released an alternate cover that she jokingly said was “approved by God.” The original cover sparked a lot of conversation and only made the album more talked about. Though she’s stated in interviews that she didn’t create this album cover to specifically stir up controversy, she believes it fits best with the messages she was trying to convey. This record was definitely one of the more risky ones out of Carpenter’s discography, but it’s safe to say that ever since her release of Short N’ Sweet back in 2024, there’s no doubt that she’s now leaning more into the “not-so-kid-friendly” side of music. In interviews, she explains that much of her inspiration for making this album came from her own uncomfortable situations and past relationships. The lyrics are playful and emotional, though not everyone is a fan. Personally, I believe that it’s a fun album, but it doesn’t come close to Emails I Can’t Send, her fifth studio album released in 2022. The lyricism in Man’s Best Friend is more humorous, though if you take a closer look it becomes evident that many of the songs mirror her past albums, but instead the production is made to be more mainstream compared to some of her past releases. Despite all the debate, the overall performance of the album gained a lot of success for Carpenter. She will be headlining Coachella in 2026 and still continues to sell out arenas. So whether you agree with her artistic decisions or not, it’s clear that she knows what she’s doing.
Photo By: ScreenRant