Hollywood's Bleeding/ Post Malone, trap/ pop

By Narendra Kusnur

Album: Hollywood's Bleeding
Artiste: Post Malone
Genre: Trap, pop
Label: Republic Records
Rating: ***

American star Post Malone got a superb response for his first two albums Stoney and Beerbongs And Bentleys. By smartly fusing trap music with pop and doses of alternative rock, and by avoiding hardcore rapping, he has managed to reach out to a wider section of young listeners.

His latest album Hollywood's Bleeding has peaked the Billboard 200 charts. While it features a large gang of rappers on different songs, the presence of rock superstar Ozzy Osbourne on ‘Take What You Want’ comes in as a surprise. With a smooth rock-style electric guitar solo, it also seems quite out of place.

There are a few paradoxes in this album. One is that while the basic tunes are catchy and melodic, 14 of the 17 songs have been marked explicit. Secondly, while each song has a clear hook, there's a lot of sameness about many tracks. At best, this can be good company while driving or exercising, without requiring  much serious listening.

The album has  many goodies, no doubt. The noteworthy tracks include ‘Die For Me’ with rappers Future and Halsey, and ‘Sunflowers’, featuring Swae Lee and used in the film Spiderman: Into The Spider-verse. The words go, “Then you're left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya; You're a sunflower, I think your love would be too much.”

‘Circles’ and ‘Staring At The Sun’, which has crisp vocals by SZA, are pop numbers about heartbreak, and ‘Wow’ appeals with its strong melody line. On ‘Allergic’, he sings “I took your pills and your drugs just to feel something else, ’cos I can't feel you no more” to imply the harms of addiction.

To give credit where it's due, Post Malone's vocals are supple and clear all through. However, the drum machines are terribly repetitive, and the title track and 'Saint Tropez' are listless openers.

There are many points on Hollywood's Bleeding which remind you of older stars, including Backstreet Boys, Supergrass and even a huge bunch of acts which tried to blend pop and hip-hop. The overall effort seems formula-driven – good for a few listens but monotonous beyond a point.