Sabrina Carpenter is not only giving us another pop anthem with her newest single, "Manchild," but she is also expanding the Sabrina Carpenter cinematic universe with this new era. From her albums Emails I Can't Send to Short n' Sweet, Sabrina has always made sure to tell a story with her music and the music videos that come along with them. With this newest single, she is expressing her frustration that comes with relationships and how these issues and problems are lowering her expectations and standards when it comes to romance. The music video for "Manchild" displays numerous metaphors to represent the constant disappointment and ongoing cycle of having to emotionally and physically care for both parties in the relationships she is portraying.
"Manchild" continues her launch into the country-pop scene. Sabrina has experimented with this kind of sound before with songs like "Please Please Please," featuring Dolly Parton, and "Slim Pickins." We can get a better view of the route she wants to take with this new era with the support of her music video, as we can visualize this country theme, and not just hear it like we have with her past projects. This single showcases Sabrina's range, not just vocally, but also lyrically, instrumentally, and conceptually. "Manchild" is a perfect example of how flexible Sabrina can be with her music and how she gives fans that feel-good rhythm and song of the summer anthem while also hitting deep with the words and conveying those relatable thoughts and feelings women have all the time.
In the song, Sabrina mentions different ways in which she questions her role in relationships. Is she a girlfriend or a mother to these men? For example, her lyrics "Why so sexy if so dumb? And how survive the Earth so long? If I'm not there, it won't get done. I choose to blame your mom," help visualize frustration and disappointment that she is feeling when she has to do all these different task to insure that her partner is essentially staying alive or living comfortably while Sabrina is the one doing all the work. While "Manchild" is a very easy flowing and catchy song, and Sabrina sounds like she's having a great time as she sings, and it makes you want to line dance in your living room as you listen, it delivers a completely different message once you sit down and take a look at these lyrics and watch the music video.
Her music video that dropped with the single breaks down the ways Sabrina has felt through these relationships, using many metaphors and examples of how men have made her feel or treated her in such obscure ways that it makes the music video itself almost comical. From the very beginning of the video we see Sabrina hitchhiking and trying to get rides from these men, but as the normal cars, which in my opinion represent the decent/normal men, are the ones passing her but the ones she does get picked up by are the weird cars or weird ways of transportation representing the men who have inspired the meaning of this song.
This new era for Sabrina Carpenter is something that fits her vibes perfectly. Following the announcement of her single, she announced her new album coming August 29th, Man's Best Friend, Sabrina sent out a letter to fans talking about the icons who inspired this upcoming project for her, including Dolly Parton and Stevie Nicks. She also mentioned how this album came to her easily, just like riding a bike. Sabrina just recently finished up her European leg of the Short n' Sweet tour, and will be coming back around to North America in the fall. I am super excited to see how she is going to incorporate this new era of music with her previous projects and to listen to Man's Best Friend on August 29th.
