Man's Best Friend is a story album, and it's a very familiar story to anyone who has been in a toxic relationship.
Manchild: she's calling out and naming the behaviour she's sick of. He doesn't charge his phone, he's not there for her emotionally, "if I'm not there, it won't get done" - she's calling out weaponised incompetence. But she's still INSIDE the cycle, so she's playing it off like a joke. she's laughing about it. "I choose to blame your mom" "I swear they choose me, I'm not choosing them". she's coping through humour and sarcasm.
Tears: she's asking for the bare minimum. she's bartering for it ("baby just do the dishes, I'll give you what you want"), and at the same time, she's making fun of herself for being so affected by the bare minimum. she knows that she deserves better, but this is where the relationship is right now, all she can do is plead with him for the bare minimum: "I get wet at the thought of you, being a responsible guy"
My Man on Willpower: here, she's introspective. while the first two songs were her talking to this man, this one is almost like a diary entry. she explains how his behaviour used to be, at the beginning, and how it's changed. she recognises that he's pulling away but doesn't want to label it that way yet, so she's blaming his "willpower" and his "self-restraint". this casts him as the "responsible guy" from Tears, and so it keeps her inside the cycle. she knows it's bad, she knows they're reaching a point of no return, but she's still in love with him, and still wants to keep him, and she can't see outside of the cycle to understand why he's pulling away. she's desperate, "the joke can be over now, you're so silly baby," she's still pleading for the bare minimum.
Sugar Talking: she's getting sick of the cycle now. she's recognising the behavioural patterns, the way he keeps hurting her and then buying her gifts to make up for it, and she doesn't want it anymore. she wants him to be there emotionally, to be present with her, not just to buy her presents. "save your money, stop making me cry"; she's burning out with the constant repetition, the cycle of his behaviour. she wants his love, and she's getting sick of the fact that he can't seem to figure that out. she's given him too many chances and he keeps screwing it up ("verbatim what you said last week, it's your seventh last chance"), and she's annoyed now.
We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night: the start of the breaking point. so the cycle gets shorter, faster; they argue, they fuck, they make amends, they tell their friends it's just another false alarm, rinse and repeat. neither of them are happy in this relationship anymore. but she still can't get out. he keeps modifying his behaviours for a short time, until she backs down from the edge, and then goes right back. he's keeping her locked in this cycle, and she can't break out of it, and a part of her doesn't want to, not yet.
Nobody's Son: he dumps her. after all that he put her through, he dumps her. she's out. she's broken-hearted, hurt, pissed, because after all the crap he did to keep her in that relationship, he left her. so he can "grow emotionally". so she's done, she's pissed, she's swearing off love! "there's nobody's son, not anyone left for me to believe in". the sarcasm comes back in this one, with "no siree, he discovered self control this week". she hoped that the breakup was just temporary, a slip, a mistake, and that he'd come back. she can't fully admit that she wants him back, though, so she takes her anger to his mother. "that boy is corrupt, could you raise him to love me maybe?" because who else can she tell? who else can she blame? she's not quite ready to blame him yet.
Never Getting Laid: now she's ready. now she's vengeful. now she's petty, and angry, and mean, and she hopes that everything is wonderful in the world and that he can never be part of it again. she hopes he develops a debilitating anxiety disorder that keeps him from ever being at peace. and, just as a bonus kick in the nuts, she hopes he never gets laid again. and it's all so bubblegum-sweet and cheerful, and she's downright spiteful. because after everything he did to her, she decides he doesn't get to be happy, or to move on, or to find someone new. she wants him to stay stuck, stay trapped, just as he trapped her in their relationship. turnabout is fair play.
When Did You Get Hot?: the start of her rebound era. her friends are taking her out, getting her mind off her ex, and it works! it takes her a minute, but it works! she gets her groove back. and sure, she's objectifying the guy, but hey, she's sworn off love, remember? she doesn't want a relationship, she wants to have fun. she wants to have sex, and hey, this guy she used to know grew up hot, so what's she gonna do, say no? it's fine, she can do this. she's got this.
Go Go Juice: ...okayyyyyyy so maybe she doesn't quite 'got this'. it's that time, ladies and gentlemen, for the drunk dialling of the exes! definitely not healthy, but hey, she doesn't mean anything by it! it's just that "some good old fashioned fun sure numbs the pain". it's not her fault, anyway, she's drunk. it's fine, don't even worry about it, she's fine.
Don't Worry, I'll Make You Worry: so maybe the rebounds aren't really what she wants. but a relationship? come on. how is she gonna pull that off? she'll make the next guy worry, she'll hurt him, she'll break him. that's what she did to the last guy, right? that's why he left, isn't it? cus of her, and her "four personalities", no wonder he left her, she's a mess. and she's still a mess, in the aftermath. so it's only fair that she should warn the next guy, right? like, he should know what he's getting into here. "I'll leave you a broken shell of a man." pretty great warning, right, who's gonna take up an offer like that?
House Tour: oh, so... so someone did wanna take up that offer. huh. okay. they went on a date, even. this is... this is good. she can do this, she likes this. and hey, he's cute, and he's a good conversationalist, and... well, hell, why not, right? she had to beg for the bare minimum with her ex, and this guy's meeting that bar already after just one date. maybe she's ready. maybe not for a relationship, not yet, but... she's getting there.
Goodbye: and of course, her ex has to come crawling around. but she's good now, she's solid, she's healed, and she doesn't want him back. she wants him gone. he was the one who walked out, so he doesn't get to come back. "goodbye means you're losing me for life", she's so over his shit. she's out of that cycle, she doesn't need him anymore. (and okay, she slips for a minute, but its just a minute, and she finds her resolve again.) she's finally free.
It's a story. It's a narrative.
It's a story that's going to resonate with people who have been in this situation, people who are going through this cycle now. It's a story infused with humour and sarcasm and wit. It makes a terrible situation into something fun, something you can dance to, something you can belt out, something you can laugh at.
It's not an album for everybody. It's not an album made for charts or labels or ticket sales. It's for her. It's for us. Just as Sabrina promised.
