AUSTIN is Post Malone’s fifth album, and though folk-pop brings a new dimension to his oeuvre, familiar themes of vice and bad relationships remain. Another feature of his music, the taut productions, are pulled even tighter, leaving little room to breathe. The simple arrangements fit the streaming world’s lack of attention span, and there’s no room on AUSTIN for anything but the hook. Still, the anxiety ratchets up when Malone starts poking around his brain, letting listeners in on what he’s thinking during trying episodes.
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The songs on AUSTIN are short. Due to his balladeer treatment, the ditties act as snippets of soliloquy. But Malone doesn’t abandon hip-hop; it lingers in the background like a co-star in a power-pop play, and it’s where he shines.
He moved from Los Angeles to Utah, and the expanse of his new surroundings appears in the album’s earthy acoustic guitars, but L.A.’s density echoes in the overcooked arrangements.
The racing heartbeat tempo of the album’s lead single, “Chemical,” is classic Malone, wrapped in angst, indecision, and intoxication. Over atmospheric synths, a breezy guitar, and pumping drums, he sings softly about a manic relationship that’s like a drug.
Bad Romance
The “chemical” theme is something we’ve heard before from Malone (“Circles”), and it places him in a toxic relationship he can’t quit. They fight; he knows it’s wrong but can’t let go. Tensions reach a peak as the two tussle over a White Stripes classic.
Outside of the party, smokin’ in the car with you
Seven Nation Army, fightin’ at the bar with you
Tell you that I’m sorry, tell me what I gotta do
’Cause I can’t let go, it’s chemical
No, I can’t let go, it’s chemical
Codependency is his modus operandi. The booze, the smokes, and the girls sometimes blend on a Malone album, like a party that’s dangerously too much fun. He doesn’t leave the imagination guessing when explaining why he sticks around. There’s no clarification necessary to grasp what she does to his brain(s). He breaks it all down in a run of ‘a’ rhymes where he ain’t tryna fight fate, but it’s too late to save face, and he can’t get away before convincing himself there are no mistakes.
You break me, then I break my rules
Last time was the last time too
Post Malone wrote “Chemical” with Louis Bell, Andrew Watt, and Billy Walsh. Bell and Watt co-produced the track. Huddling with longtime collaborators gave him the confidence to reinvent his sound on AUSTIN. Though most of the album features a singer-songwriter approach, “Chemical” is closer to Malone’s trademark sound.
When he announced the new album on Instagram, he said the title refers to his birth name, Austin Post. He spoke about the new approach and described the process as the “most challenging and rewarding music” he’s made. It’s not a stripped-down album, but most of the songs center on the acoustic guitar, highlighting the organic intent of the album’s reference to his first name. It could be a rebirth, though his stadium pop hasn’t strayed from what attracts fans to his music.
Showing confidence in “Chemical,” Malone included the song on his compilation album of Diamond-certified singles, The Diamond Collection. As of this writing, he has eight Diamond records. His acoustic pop reinvention from trap and hip-hop music doesn’t resolve the struggles he continues to write about, but it does make the demons sound less scary.
Blinking Genres
The streaming era is fascinating in how genre-centric playlists keep categorical walls up. Still, an artist like Malone—who has spent the past decade dominating the pop-rap world—genre hops effortlessly. On AUSTIN, he opens sounding like Kurt Cobain before falling deep inside a synth choir and finally landing in a familiar space with “Chemical.” A sonic vagabond, Malone is a genre-transcending apostate.
If Malone has an Achilles heel, it’s the way he borrows from multiple genres without fully committing to them. His music is extremely popular, and he’s undeniably talented, but is it any good? Or is he just really skilled at raiding the jukebox?
An acoustic guitar is the instrument version of a confessional booth, and Malone uses it to pick through pop music’s tool chest. It wouldn’t be hard to quit a can of empty calories if it wasn’t delicious—like the heavy anchor of Malone’s movie-like nightlife. “Chemical” is his version of the Fast & Furious franchise, a familiar place that draws people to another epic car crash.
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Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images
