“Oh boy!” Sabrina Carpenter chuckles at the top of “Manchild,” the lead single of her new album Man’s Best Friend . It’s a subtle but direct preview of this project’s focus: a camp-fueled takedown of incompetent men. It’s not a far-fetched or unexpected topic, as Carpenter’s last album, Short n’ Sweet , saw the pop star skewering the opposite sex for funsies. “Amen; hey, men!” Carpenter sings throughout “Manchild,” humoring her target as she deliberates on how to properly puncture egos.

For anyone who played Short n’ Sweet into the ground, Man’s Best Friend will be a welcome listening experience. Sabrina Carpenter is witty, charming, and selectively vulnerable, as usual — and she’s backed by her expected partners in crime: Amy Allen and Jack Antonoff, alongside One Direction

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