A little laugh echoes in the background, followed by a softly amused “Oh boy.” The synths kick in, the beat drops and the familiar voice begins to croon. We’re off to the races already in “Manchild,” the opening track of “Man’s Best Friend,” Sabrina Carpenter’s anticipated follow-up to her breakout record “Short n’ Sweet.”

“Man’s Best Friend” is Carpenter fully embracing the role she began to define in her previous album. The album is filled with catchy beats, talented vocals and wordplay so sharp that if you blink once you’ll miss it. The 12 track collection was released on Aug. 29 and is a welcome edition to Carpenter’s discography.

One of our personal favorites from the album was the sixth track, “Nobody’s Son.” The song itself doesn’t have any standout moments, and the sound is very similar to most other Carpenter hits. What makes it so good is how well the formula is used: bringing catchy hooks to a new level, with a sparkly, Disney-movie-esque beat resounding throughout the song. The vocals and lyrics are as good as any Carpenter song yet. It won’t be the song that changes your life, but it’ll be the one you’ll hear many many times in the coming months.

This is a theme that carries throughout the album. There are few notable songs, other than perhaps the hit single and opening track “Manchilld,” but in each song, Carpenter perfects the wordplay and construction that started coming into its own on “Short n’ Sweet.” We found lines like “Why so sexy if so dumb? And how survive on Earth so long?” funny and clever even on the third listen. It’s hard to find a flaw in the 38 minutes of music.

Another song that we liked was the 10th song, “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry.” This song had more of a somber tune to it, ultimately discussing a somewhat toxic relationship. On TikTok, some have compared this song to be the “Don’t Smile”—a song from, “Short n’ Sweet”—of “Man’s Best Friend.” Overall, there are very few musical differences between the two albums. Still, “Man’s Best Friend” definitely feels more polished, consistent, and developed than its predecessor. It’s clear that Carpenter has developed her style and craft well in the time between.

While there were no problems with any songs specifically, one issue that the album encounters is its limited scope. Every single song covers relationships in some shape or form. Carpenter sings about being heartbroken, being in a struggling relationship, or breaking another person’s heart, but that’s about as far as the range goes. Between this and the “Short n’ Sweet” album, the theme starts to get a little old. But, besides the lack of range of lyricism, the album does successfully incorporate different music styles, from the soft ballad of “We Almost Broke Up Last Night” to the upbeat “House Tour,” which keeps it entertaining enough.

Overall, “Man’s Best Friend” was a fun and exciting album, but nothing we’ve never heard before. Still, Carpenter’s music would definitely make for a fun car trip or karaoke night.