Post Malone’s third studio album is here! Now I know what you’re thinking, “didn’t Beerbongs & Bentleys just come out?” And while it has been over a year since the release of Post Malone’s smash sophomore album, it does seem like more and more artists are releasing full albums very close together. This is something I tend to be very critical of, as I would always prefer that artists take the time to really perfect their projects. Thirteen years was a long time to wait for that Tool album I just got done reviewing, but it was well worth it. So now, funnily enough, I follow up that review by talking about an album that fans had to wait almost no time at all for. The question is, does Hollywood’s Bleeding stick the landing, or is its quality compromised by the rapid turnaround time?
Before we get into any of that, I should talk about my relationship with Post Malone’s music up to this point. Post Malone has never exactly been my thing, primarily due to my general distaste for the overly simplistic and aggressively trap-heavy pop and hip-hop music that has dominated the charts in recent years. That aside, I can at least understand Malone’s appeal, as easily one of the smartest writers in this new wave of artists. While I was entirely unimpressed with his debut album Stoney, I certainly appreciated some of the strides he made on Beerbongs & Bentleys in the areas of writing and production, even if some of the goofy lyrics and repetitive trap instrumentals consistently served as a reminder of why I seldom listen to this kind of music. So I assumed that at best, I would have that same lukewarm appreciation for this new album.
Honestly, this album really surprised me. Post Malone takes this project in a lot of very fresh and adventurous directions, especially for an album that was most likely being written before Beerbongs & Bentleys was even released. Musically, Malone’s signature trap-pop sound is still very present, but the songs are much more dynamically and stylistically diverse than they have been on either of Malone’s preceding albums. Lyrically, Hollywood’s Bleeding is Malone’s most mature and personal album to date.
Many of the songs on this album seem focused on Malone’s disenchantment with the world of famous entertainers he now finds himself in. He sings repeatedly about distrusting people who were once his friends, but have stabbed him in the back, “Enemies” and “Die For Me” being among the most obvious examples. Songs such as “A Thousand Bad Times” and “Take What You Want” dive into the perils of toxic relationships. “Internet” is a shorter tune about the pitfalls of our social media-obsessed culture, a daring move, considering Malone’s target age demographic. The weakest moments lyrically are tracks such as “Saint-Tropez” and “On The Road,” two stale, unoriginal songs about being the best in the game. Obviously nothing new to this genre.
Musically, this album is a pretty even mix of songs in Malone’s signature style, and songs that go in some different directions that are newer for him. Malone wears his love for rock music on his sleeve in guitar-driven songs such as “Allergic,” “A Thousand Bad Times,” “Circles,” and most of all, “Take What You Want,” a song featuring Ozzy Osbourne (yes, you read that right), and a face-melting guitar solo. “Internet” is a beautiful piano ballad, the likes of which nobody expected from Malone. Even tracks such as “Hollywood’s Bleeding” and “Wow.” which don’t deviate much from Malone’s signature sound at least come off as better thought out and more musically interesting.
Malone is no stranger to high-profile featured artists, and that trend is continued on Hollywood’s Bleeding. Even though artists such as Travis Scott and Young Thug aren’t my cup of tea, the features on this album never come off as overbearing, and Malone still shines through as the primary artist. If you’ll remember, overbearing and frankly pretty terrible features made up the bulk of my issues with Ed Sheeran’s recent collaborations album. And while many of the features on this album are low points for me, there are a few that I enjoy quite a bit. The aforementioned Ozzy feature warms my metal heart whenever I hear it. Beautiful performances from Halsey and SZA are the saving graces of two otherwise pretty forgettable songs. Swae Lee’s part on “Sunflower” is the only moment on the album where Malone is overshadowed by a featured artist, but I’m honestly not complaining about this one.
While the very brief time between Beerbongs & Bentleys and Hollywood’s Bleeding gave me reason to be skeptical about this album, Post Malone has delivered an ambitious, and overall pretty solid, batch of songs. While the trap production and features from artists I’m not crazy about keep me from enjoying this album top to bottom, the most creative and memorable moments stick the landing in a big way, and leave me excited to see what Post Malone does next.
Score: 7/10
Favorite Song(s): Take What You Want, A Thousand Bad Times, Allergic, Circles
Least Favorite Song(s): Saint-Tropez, On The Road
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 