Topping the charts with her hit song “Espresso” to her most acknowledged appearance as an avatar in the game Fortnite, Sabrina Carpenter has become a well-known figure in American pop culture.

Carpenter’s album Man’s Best Friend released Aug 29. “Manchild” is the first song on the track list and released as a single on June 5. This first track has vibrant synth pop beats adding to the trend of mainstream artists embracing an eighties pop aesthetic.

The song contrasts the romantic themes present in her last album, Short ‘n’ Sweet. From the beginning, “Man’s Best Friend” feels more critical of relationships, while “Manchild” uses condescending tones towards Carpenter’s male partners, setting the feel for the rest of the album. 

Through the album’s 12 tracks, it becomes clear that we are following Carpenter through a failing relationship. In the song “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” she includes lines such as “Called it a false alarm to all of our friends, Then we almost broke up again last night.” In the song that follows, “Nobody’s Son”, Carpenter uses upbeat vocals and electric beats to cover up the frustration and grief of her break-up, something teased in tracks before.

Despite the vibe being relatively similar, Carpenter signs off with “Goodbye.” The song features what is figuratively the conclusion to the story present in the album. This generalization of this album can be followed by the lyrics “Well, sayonara, adiós…By walking out, that means you choose goodbye…Goodbye.” 

Upon beginning the album, the song titles and order leaves a skeptical feeling. It is surprising that a mainstream pop artist is able to put together such an intricate storyline. 

The story unfolding through the well written lyrics leaves an exceptional impression about the artist. Not knowing anything about Sabrina Carpenter to find some new favorites in her album has me anticipating her next release. 

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