Disco-Inspired Pop With Emotional Depth

Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend is finally here—and it’s packed with disco, dance, pop, and enough innuendo to keep listeners blushing. She first teased the album in June, following the release of its cheeky lead single, “Manchild.”

Some questioned Carpenter’s decision to drop a new album so soon after her last, but she defended the move, pointing to other female artists who’ve done the same. Now that Man’s Best Friend is out, the results are mixed: some elements play to her strengths, while others hint at growing fatigue.

Sabrina Borrows From ABBA, Dolly Parton & More Of Her Inspirations

More so than any of her previous work, Sabrina Carpenter has channeled ABBA influences. As seen in the sticky, fun-times tune, “Goodbye,” which sounds like it was pulled directly from their catalog. Carpenter has never been shy about her admiration for the Swedish pop group, regularly covering their hits and even appearing in a TikTok with Björn Ulvaeus.

However, this time around, Carpenter’s go-to producer, Jack Antonoff, helped craft an array of songs that feel like a tribute to the band. Luckily, it works in her favor as Carpenter is at her best when she’s mimicking the pop icons that came before her.

On other songs, Carpenter, who name-dropped Donna Summer upon announcing Man’s Best Friend, took listeners back to the disco days. The raunchy “Tears” feels ripped straight from the late-70s disco era, with an intro that closely echoes Donna Summer’s 1978 hit “Last Dance.” A standout track from Man’s Best Friend, “My Man On Willpower,” also leans on disco inspiration.

Carpenter sings about the frustrating feeling of going from the object of a man’s affections to someone he barely thinks about. Her explanation? He must have some seriously strong willpower if he was able to stop himself from being so obsessed with her. If there were one disco track to really compare it to, it’d be Bonnie Pointer’s “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” but with a slower tempo.

Disco came back onto the mainstream pop scene around 2020 heavily due to Lizzo and Dua Lipa, followed by Carpenter’s Emails I Can’t Send in 2022. However, the genre is far from tired. Every time Carpenter goes disco, it’s a reminder of why the genre is so beloved. While Carpenter really dove into disco for Man’s Best Friend, she didn’t forget that she is always and forever Dolly Parton’s pop-country daughter.

The “Espresso” singer released the country-inspired “Slim Pickins” on Short n’ Sweet and “Bad Reviews” on the album’s deluxe version. She also released a countrified version of “Please Please Please” featuring Parton. For Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter put “Go Go Juice” as track 9, and despite its Western sound, it still fits in with the other songs and brings the whole album together.

Carpenter’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics work especially well here alongside the acoustic guitars and banjos. It’s something Nashville bands will be playing up and down Broadway for years to come.

Though Carpenter delivered plenty this time around, she left behind her Ariana Grande–style R&B slow burns. It’s a letdown for fans of Short n’ Sweet highlights like “Bed Chem” and “Good Graces.” Still, the shift keeps her discography feeling fresh, proving she’s following the playbook of pop legends by refusing to make the same album twice.

Instead of sultry R&B, Carpenter leans into shimmering 80s-inspired pop. “Sugar Talking” hints at her old sound but swings jazzier, while “House Tour” channels full Paula Abdul energy. All she’s missing is the 80s workout video. It’s not the album’s best track (nor is “When Did You Get Hot?”) but both reflect a playful evolution that proves she’s far from fading.

A Few Of Sabrina’s Innuendos Fall Flat

Since her “Nonsense” outros, Carpenter hasn’t been shy about hiding sexual innuendos in her music. It’s part of what catapulted her into the spotlight, but some of the references are starting to get a little old.

Sure, it does a lot to show off Carpenter’s sense of humor and ability to not take life so seriously, but at times, it feels like she’s selling herself short. The upbeat disco production that could have made “Tears” an instant classic is watered down by the repeated lyrics “I get wet at the thought of you.”

A song many assumed would be about heartbreak was actually about tears streaming down her legs because of how turned on she is by her partner. It was certainly unexpected, but not necessarily in a good way.

“House Tour” leans into Carpenter’s satirical side, swearing it’s not a metaphor, she just doesn’t want her partner using the back door. But the joke wears thin, feeling too on-the-nose. What’s frustrating is that Carpenter’s capable of more. Emails I Can’t Send showed how deeply she can write, with songs like “Vicious” and “Decode” proving she’s more than just clever punchlines.

The backlash to the Man’s Best Friend cover art—called degrading by some—extends to the music itself. At times, Carpenter plays into a caricature of herself, flirting with the “sex-crazed bimbo” persona. But she’s clearly more than that, and she knows it. Tracks like “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” and “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” show real emotion. She doesn’t need to ditch the innuendos, but mixing in more vulnerability wouldn’t hurt.

Carpenter Has Learned To Dance Through The Heartbreak

Riding the success of Short n’ Sweet, Carpenter has learned that heartbreak can actually be quite fun. Her past two albums dove much deeper into the feelings of losing love. “Sharpest Tool” was especially painful to listen to as Carpenter grappled with being so easily pushed aside and replaced by a guy she was really interested in.

This time around, Sabrina Carpenter finds humor in heartbreak. After publicly splitting from Barry Keoghan in late 2024, her only nod to the relationship appears in “Go-Go Juice,” where she cheekily rhymes “Barry” with “Larry.” Unlike past eras, she doesn’t linger in the sadness. And with critics questioning the messages she sends to young women, this carefree attitude might be her most redeeming yet.

Date of Birth

May 11, 1999

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