Post Malone Tackles Heartbreak and Fame in Third LP “Hollywood’s Bleeding”

Instead of bowing to the pressure or glamorizing the dark side of fame, his music revels in its honesty. And the best part of it all? It opens up to a plethora of genres outside of hip-hop. 

“Hollywood’s bleeding, vampire’s feedin’/ Darkness turns to dust/ Everyone’s gone, but no one’s leavin’/ Nobody left but us.”

These are the opening words for Post Malone’s third studio album, Hollywood’s Bleeding and it helps define his new era. Coming fresh off the release of the wildly successful Beerbongs and Bentleys, Post Malone has brought a mature, darker sound. Posty’s third album is a sonic wonderland that helps deal with the dark aspects of fame.

Malone has become hyper aware of the negative nature that tends to associate itself with immediate fame; including fake friends, relationships and greed. Instead of bowing to the pressure or glamorizing the dark side of fame, his music revels in its honesty. And the best part of it all? It opens up to a plethora of genres outside of hip-hop – especially with his latest single “Circles.”

This album highlight seems to focus on the cyclical pattern of trying to break up a relationship that seems doomed from the start – at least to Posty.

This seems to be a prevalent theme throughout the record – chalked up to being another side-effect of being rich and famous. Another strong example of this can be found on the Future and Halsey assisted breakup single “Die for Me.” 

Speaking of assistance, it looks like Post Malone went through his Rolodex for a wide variety of features and writing credits – ranging from Kanye West’s production of “Internet” to featuring SZA, Meek Mill and the legendary Ozzy Osbourne on the 17-track record.

One of the best aspects of Post Malone as an artist is that he never manages to lose the sound of himself and his guests during these features. This can easily misdirect an album, but it seems to be his forte. (As beautifully seen in his last album’s highlight “Spoil My Night” with Swae Lee)

Although the record is a glamorous blend of various genres, Malone’s weaker tracks can be found when he sticks to his usual sound; “Enemies” and “I Know.” However, he seems to shine brightest on the more eclectic tracks. “Allergic” tackles a toxic relationship with a human that finds itself intertwined with drug abuse. 

Rock n’ roll track “Take What You Want” with Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott shows Post Malone at his finest. This track is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser for his upcoming Runaway tour as he finally – and wholly – embraces the rock god that lives within Posty. It’s seriously among his finest work to date.

But don’t get it twisted – just because his music is tackling new genres does not mean we’ve lost the Post Malone we know and love. For example, he elegantly describes in “Saint-Tropez” that he has, “Versace boxers on [his] dick” and “Bud Light runnin’ through [his] piss.” How … refreshing?

In the era of streaming, Post Malone has provided the playlist-perfect record to suit everyone. Throughout the feature-heavy record, he captures the magic and darkness of love, fame and everything in-between. Yet, he has managed to find the perfect balance of keeping both his fans and new listeners happy. The question is to see what his next move will be.

Album Highlights

“Staring At the Sun”, “Take What You Want”, “Circles” and “Allergic”

You can stream Hollywood’s Bleeding here. Post Malone is coming to Little Caesars Arena on September 29 as a part of his Runaway tour. You can grab your tickets here.

 

Check out our other album reviews here.