Man's Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter Man's Best Friend

74
ChoruScore
15 reviews
Aug 29, 2025
Release Date
Island Records
Label

Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend arrives as a sly, theatrical pop statement that trades heartbreak for wink-filled satire and glossy pastiche. Across 15 professional reviews the record earned a 74.47/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to Carpenter's mischievous persona and knack for hook-driven craft as the album's driving strengths. For anyone asking "is Man's Best Friend good?" the consensus lands on confident and often delightful, even when its showmanship occasionally overshadows intimate specificity.

Reviewers consistently flag standout tracks as proof points: “Manchild”, “House Tour”, “My Man on Willpower” and “Go Go Juice” recur as the best songs on Man's Best Friend, praised for their memorable melodies, disco and retro-pop flourishes, and sharp wordplay. Critics note the album's vintage-modern fusion - Seventies pastiche, ABBA-esque Eurodisco, yacht-rock gloss and country-leaning touches - married to contemporary pop sheen, producing moments of genuine pop craftsmanship. Praise clusters around Carpenter's comic timing, witty sexual innuendo and confident genre play, with production flourishes that make many tracks feel like staged vignettes.

At the same time, several reviewers temper enthusiasm with caveats: some criticize over-polished vocal layering, uneven execution, and a tendency toward jokey excess that undercuts emotional payoff. While professional reviews celebrate the record's ambition and the undeniable standouts, the nuance is clear - Man's Best Friend is most successful when Carpenter pares back affect and lets a hook or a lyric land. As an introduction to the album's critical consensus and its best tracks, the collection reads as a bold, occasionally uneven step forward in Carpenter's pop evolution, and a record worth hearing for its sharpest, most theatrical moments.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

Please Please Please

1 mention

"If Short n’ Sweet gave her a blockbuster single in "Please Please Please""
The Line of Best Fit
2

My Man on Willpower

10 mentions

"The third track, "My Man on Willpower," is when things start getting more interesting."
Variety
3

Goodbye (duplicate check)

1 mention

If Short n’ Sweet gave her a blockbuster single in "Please Please Please"
T
The Line of Best Fit
about "Please Please Please"
Read full review
1 mention
88% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Manchild

13 mentions
100
03:33
2

Tears

15 mentions
74
02:40
3

My Man on Willpower

10 mentions
100
03:17
4

Sugar Talking

9 mentions
98
03:03
5

We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night

11 mentions
43
03:23
6

Nobody’s Son

10 mentions
35
03:02
7

Never Getting Laid

11 mentions
100
03:28
8

When Did You Get Hot?

11 mentions
64
02:25
9

Go Go Juice

13 mentions
100
03:13
10

Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry

10 mentions
60
03:42
11

House Tour

14 mentions
100
02:49
12

Goodbye

9 mentions
94
03:45

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 19 critics who reviewed this album

Critic's Take

There is an easy charisma at the centre of Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend, but the record too often tells its horny, playful stories instead of making you feel them. The reviewer's voice returns again and again to how songs like “Tears” and “Go Go Juice” actually spark - “Tears” for its layered fetishized storytelling and “Go Go Juice” for leaned-into country theatrics - even as much of the album plays like tasteful leftovers. Production by Jack Antonoff is called out as polished but tired, and that gap between Carpenter's stage magnetism and this record's filtered delivery is why lists of the best tracks on Man's Best Friend keep circling back to those two songs.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Tears" because its lyrics and delivery capture layered fetishistic storytelling and cheeky nuance.
  • The album's core strengths are Carpenter's undeniable charisma and flirtatious, country-tinged aesthetics, undermined by tired production and lack of emotional payoff.

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter sounds at her most theatrical and winning on Man's Best Friend, where cheeky innuendo and Antonoff-style gleam elevate songs like “House Tour” and “Go Go Juice”. The review revels in Carpenter's comic timing and genre-hopping confidence, praising how a bar-room confession and yacht-rock gloss can coexist. It also notes the album's one flaw - too much vocal frosting sometimes buries quieter specificity - but even that over-icing often reads as deliberate showmanship.

Key Points

  • "Go Go Juice" is the album's best for its character work, comedic writing, and anthemic, drunken-voicemail chorus.
  • The album's core strength is bold, high-gloss production and sharp, flirtatious lyricism, even when vocal layering sometimes over-polishes intimacy.

Themes

production excess vs. restraint witty sexual innuendo genre play and pastiche vocal layering vs. intimacy

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter’s Man's Best Friend finds her at her slyest and most assured, leaning into playful sexuality while sticking to irresistibly hooky pop. Levine singles out “Tears” and “House Tour” as prime examples of her glistening disco and risqué wit, and praises “When Did You Get So Hot?” for its sleeper-rom-com charm. He notes the country-leaning streaks and even the melodically exquisite slower moments, but returns again to the slinky, Prince-tinged production that makes the best tracks stand out. The review reads as a warm recommendation: Carpenter is having fun, and these are the best songs on Man's Best Friend that prove it.

Key Points

  • The best song is notable for its glistening disco production and witty, risqué lyrics that exemplify Carpenter’s playful persona.
  • The album’s core strengths are hooky melodies, confident production, and a playful, sexually frank lyrical voice.

Themes

playful sexuality disco and funk pop country-leaning production hooky melodies confidence and self-awareness

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter treats Man's Best Friend like a stage play where the punchlines land as hard as the hooks, and the best songs - “Manchild” and “Never Getting Laid” - prove it. “Manchild” is bubblegum pop with teeth, already auditioning for song of the summer, while “Never Getting Laid” turns every line into a hook, part comedy routine, part confessional. The album's midsection, with tracks like “Tears” and “My Man on Willpower”, balances satire with surprising sincerity, showing Carpenter can do more than mockery. The closer, “Goodbye”, strips away the laughs and leaves a drained, honest coda that makes the preceding glitter feel purposeful.

Key Points

  • “Manchild” is the best song because it pairs ruthless humour with irresistible hooks and clear commercial ambition.
  • The album's strengths are theatrical satire, sharp timing, and making frivolity feel deliberately radical.

Themes

satire of romance comedy and timing pop sheen vs. sincerity modern relationship absurdity text-message/Instagram culture

Critic's Take

In a voice that is equal parts smutty and savvy, Sabrina Carpenter pushes the persona to its apex on Man's Best Friend. The best songs - “Manchild”, “House Tour”, and “Go Go Juice” - showcase Carpenter’s knack for formally classic, facepalm-clever pop and theatrical wink. Tracks like “Sugar Talking” and “My Man on Willpower” sharpen the album’s ABBA and country-tinged flourishes while Antonoff’s earnestness plays foil to her snark. For readers asking what the best tracks on Man's Best Friend are, those three deliver the album’s biggest pleasures: craft, gag, and a showgirl’s gleam.

Key Points

  • The best song(s) mix witty persona with slick production and memorable hooks, especially “Manchild” and “House Tour”.
  • The album’s core strengths are Carpenter’s theatrical pop persona, clever lyrics, and Antonoff’s polished production.

Themes

witty pop persona sex and misandry artifice and showmanship nostalgic pop references

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter sounds more adventurous than ever on Man's Best Friend, the record pushing into retro-pop and disco textures while flirting with cinematic arrangements. The review highlights the best tracks as catchy, immediate moments - notably “My Man on Willpower” and “Go Go Juice” - which deliver infectious hooks and country-tinged danceability. The voice is playful and candid, noting how Carpenter’s humour can be brilliant yet sometimes overwhelms tracks like “House Tour”. Overall, the album rewards relistens and curiosity, even if it rarely lands a clean pop knockout.

Key Points

  • My Man on Willpower is best for its infectious, knowing hook and pop immediacy.
  • The album’s core strengths are adventurous production and playful, detail-oriented humour, balanced against uneven execution.

Themes

humour and innuendo retro pop and disco influences ambition and experimentation uneven execution
Sputnikmusic logo

Sputnikmusic

Unknown
Sep 2, 2025
70

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter sounds more assured on Man's Best Friend, even if she hasn’t fully shed the teen-pop tics that dog her. The reviewist repeatedly praises “Manchild” as the album’s high point and highlights tracks like “Go Go Juice” and “Nobody’s Son” for their genre-minded thrills. At times - notably on “Tears” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” - the record lapses into juvenile, uncreative territory, but the flickers of brilliance keep the album buoyant. Overall it’s a definite step forward and gives clear clues about the best tracks on Man's Best Friend and where Carpenter could go next.

Key Points

  • Manchild is the album’s best song because it pairs childish humor with an insanely catchy chorus and seductive vocal delivery.
  • The album’s core strengths are its upbeat, varied production and moments of genre experimentation that hint at Carpenter’s broader potential.

Themes

coming-of-age teen breakup anthems genre experimentation catchy pop production
Paste Magazine logo

Paste Magazine

Unknown
Sep 2, 2025
85

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend is as brainy as it is raunchy, and its best songs - “My Man on Willpower”, “Goodbye”, and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” - showcase that blend. The reviewer revels in Carpenter's clever double entendres and sharp barbs, praising moments where wordplay meets inspired form. Musically, the album feels fuller and meaner than its predecessor, with production flourishes that let those standout tracks breathe. In short, for listeners asking what the best tracks on Man's Best Friend are, these songs are singled out as the record's true winners.

Key Points

  • The best song(s) like "My Man on Willpower" and "Goodbye" pair candid lyricism with adventurous production, making them standouts.
  • The album's core strengths are its clever double entendres, genre-blending production, and a bolder, fuller pop identity than her prior record.

Themes

sexual frankness wordplay and double entendres healing and self-reflection genre-melding pop

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter leans into breakup-as-comedy on Man's Best Friend, trading bitterness for wink-filled craft and Seventies pastiche. Your search for the best songs on Man's Best Friend should start with “When Did You Get Hot?” and “House Tour” - the former is flirtatious and sly, the latter a bold, sun-drenched pop moment. Also listen to “Never Getting Laid”, a slow-burning standout where Carpenter turns spite into sticky, sexy humor. The record cements her transition from promise to bona fide pop diva, balancing charm, groove, and pointed lyrical comedy.

Key Points

  • The best song is the flirtatious “When Did You Get Hot?” because it pairs funky production with Carpenter's winking delivery.
  • The album's core strengths are its sharp, innuendo-laden lyricism, Seventies pastiche, and knack for turning heartbreak into sly humor.

Themes

breakup wit and innuendo Seventies pastiche female empowerment humor in heartbreak

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend feels like a true creative arrival, the best tracks - “Manchild” and “My Man on Willpower” - proving Carpenter regards pop as craft as much as art. Shaad D'Souza writes with clipped admiration for the album's hooks and intricate structures, calling “Manchild” astounding in its construction and “My Man on Willpower” lush Eurodisco that rewards repeated listens. The record's bright, detailed productions and cheeky lyrical turns make songs like “House Tour” and “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” stand out for their small-scale epics and quotidian wit. Overall, the review frames the best tracks on Man's Best Friend as tightly stitched, hook-filled and provocatively old-fashioned in the smartest sense.

Key Points

  • The best song is “Manchild” for its intricate, unconventional construction and memorable hooks.
  • The album's core strengths are meticulous production, inventive instrumentation, and sharp, tongue-in-cheek lyricism.

Themes

sexual politics pop craftmanship complex song structures production detail tongue-in-cheek humor

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter has fashioned a compact triumph with Man's Best Friend, and the best songs prove why. Opener “Manchild” is lauded as "pop perfection", its electro perfume lingering long after the final note, while “Tears” luxuriates in disco heaven with purring, Donna Summer-esque vocals. The bruised, spiteful jabs of “Never Getting Laid” and “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” land as cartoonish pop-as-entertainment, and sprightly cuts like “Go Go Juice” stand out for peppy energy rather than safe re-treads. Overall, the record feels fresh, punchy and assured, making clear why these are the best tracks on Man's Best Friend.

Key Points

  • ‘Manchild’ is the best song because the reviewer calls it 'pop perfection' and highlights its lingering electro perfume.
  • The album's core strengths are its fusion of vintage and modern pop, sharply observed lyrics, and playful, punchy production.

Themes

pop revenge break-up vintage-modern fusion sexiness vs wholesomeness disco and synth influences

Critic's Take

On Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend, the best songs are the ones that flirt with pastiche and payoff: “Tears” is a Donna Summer-inspired disco-pop gem and “Never Getting Laid” is a yacht-rock-meets-R&B standout. Sal Cinquemani praises Carpenter's folksy, coquettish voice and her playful, horny lyrical persona even as he faults the relentlessness of her potty-mouth humor. The review frames “When Did You Get Hot?” as a show-stopping moment, and the album's closing “Goodbye” doubles as a scathing, jovial kiss-off, cementing why listeners asking "best songs on Man's Best Friend" will point to these tracks.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Tears," pairs horny wit with Donna Summer-inspired disco-pop, making it a standout.
  • The album's strengths are Carpenter's coquettish vocal persona and its playful retro-pop pastiche despite occasionally puerile lyrics.

Themes

sexual agency irony vs. pandering retro pop homage libidinous humor
Consequence logo

Consequence

Unknown
Aug 29, 2025
87

Critic's Take

In a gleeful, snarky mode the reviewer watches Sabrina Carpenter turn Man's Best Friend into a campy variety show where the best songs - “Manchild” and “Tears” - sting and seduce in equal measure. The piece praises Carpenter’s knack for pulling from eras and genres, noting how “Manchild” serves as a cheeky takedown while “Tears” luxuriates in lustful disco. The tone is admiring and amused, crediting Carpenter’s collaborators for helping her polish these moments into undeniable pop gems. Overall, the reviewer positions the album as a confident, witty statement that cements Carpenter as pop’s current supernova.

Key Points

  • “Manchild” is the best song because it crystallizes the album’s campy, incisive takedown of incompetent men with memorable hooks.
  • The album’s core strengths are witty lyrics, bold sexual frankness, and stylish genre-mixing that modernizes nostalgic influences.

Themes

female empowerment sexual frankness satire of men genre pastiche and nostalgia

Critic's Take

Sabrina Carpenter continues to traffic in sparkling, knowingly cheeky pop on Man's Best Friend, where the best songs - notably “House Tour” and “Nobody’s Son” - do the heavy lifting with irresistible hooks and playful production. The reviewer’s tone stays admiring but wary, noting highs that feel like fully realised pop songs alongside too many tracks that read as first drafts. Praise lands on the album when Carpenter leans into Eighties power-pop and absurd, immaculate sonic choices, while weaker moments grind when genres are mimicked without fresh lift. Overall the best tracks on Man's Best Friend prove Carpenter’s instinct for melody and spectacle, even if the album as a whole could have benefited from more time in the oven.

Key Points

  • “House Tour” is the best song because its Eighties power-pop hook is instantly catchy and built for live singalongs.
  • The album’s core strengths are Carpenter’s melodic gift and strong pop aesthetics, offset by uneven songwriting and rushed production.

Themes

modern pop aesthetics sex and relationships production consistency vs freshness 80s and classic pop influences

Critic's Take

Chris Willman writes with an amused, slightly sardonic authority that makes clear the best songs on Man's Best Friend are the ones where Sabrina Carpenter's comic instincts and pop craft collide. He singles out “Tears” as a standout for its cheeky misdirection and disco pulse, and praises “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” for its vintage ELO charm, calling both among the best tracks on the album. In his voice, the album's humor, melodic lifts and sly stage-musical feel explain why these songs - and indeed the record - keep you smirking and sometimes genuinely delighted. The review reads like a recommendation from someone who delights in cleverness, so searches for best songs on Man's Best Friend will reliably point to those spirited highlights.

Key Points

  • “Tears” is best for its cheeky lyrics, memorable line and disco revival that marries humor with dance-floor appeal.
  • The album’s core strengths are witty, satirical songwriting, melodic lifts and nostalgic pop production that sustain a smirking, comic persona.

Themes

sex comedy satire of relationships self-deprecating humor nostalgic pop influences female empowerment