In the weeks preceding the release of her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter has taken the phrase “man’s best friend” very literally.
In a series of Instagram and Twitter posts that fused celebrity power with dog cuteness, Carpenter revealed her tracklist, two tracks at a time, using a golden retriever puppy and two lucky fans. The LP is scheduled for release on August 29 through Island Records.
On July 23, roughly a month after the album was announced, Carpenter started the tracklist reveal by introducing track 12, “Goodbye,” with a picture of fan Mariah holding the puppy. “Track #12 is ‘Goodbye,’ but Mariah is helping us say hello to our tracklist reveal,” she captioned the photo.
With the caption, “neriah & a golden = home sweet home,” Carpenter returned to the pup brigade two days later to share track 11—”House Tour”—with admirer Neriah in a similar photo. “House Tour” is the eleventh track. Hundreds of thousands of people liked both posts, and admirers praised the creative and endearing strategy.
By repeating enthusiastic responses from @overdosedontun (“omggg sabrina asked me to reveal track 11 ‘House Tour’ from Man’s Best Friend!!!”) and calling on other fans to unite, Carpenter then used X to magnify the moment: “Track 11 stans rise.” Beyond the puppy announcements, Carpenter has kept Man’s Best Friend moving forward by using her humorous timing and engaging in lighthearted fan interaction. These strategies have helped her gain over 5 million Instagram followers and create a real community around her music.
Titles like “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Happy” (track 10), “Go Go Juice” (track 9), “When Did You Get Hot?” (track 8), and “Never Getting Laid” (track 7) were released in the days that followed, and it is anticipated that the countdown will continue.
The forthcoming album follows 2024’s Short n’ Sweet and arrives amid Carpenter’s latest lead single, “Manchild,” released on June 5. Man’s Best Friend will drop almost exactly a year after Carpenter released breakthrough album Short n’ Sweet, which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. So far, fans have gotten to hear only one song from the new record — “Manchild,” which dropped in June and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking Carpenter’s second-ever No. 1 song.
In keeping with the album’s dog-themed concept, Man’s Best Friend can be preordered in a variety of formats, including a picture disc painted by Jacob Rochester that has Carpenter next to a suit in a bizarre scene.
Man’s Best Friend Tracklist (Updating)
7. “Never Getting Laid”
8. “When Did You Get Hot?”
9. “Go Go Juice”
10. “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry”
11. “House Tour”
12. “Goodbye
