Last week, Post Malone hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, in the second biggest streaming week of 2019, for his second full length LP, “Hollywood’s Bleeding.”

Austin Richard Post, aka Post Malone, has been climbing the charts since his 2015 debut of the popular single “White Iverson.”

In the last decade, he has become a musical phenomenon of famous Soundcloud origin.

I didn’t realize how big Malone was until I recently overheard my girlfriend’s mom playing “Better Now,” for the family.

I’ve never truly enjoyed Malone’s signature mellow trap croons. To my ears, he sounds like a pubescent goat on antidepressants.

However, I can’t deny his popularity, and I admire his come up from free online music sharing, to charting above Taylor Swift.

“Hollywood’s Bleeding,” sounds dramatic, and it is. However, Malone sprinkles many little glossy pop moments across the album.

Some are full anthems like “Sunflower,” or the lightly trap influenced “Saint-Tropez.”

Others have brief, lighthearted refrains that become summer evening smiles, like “Allergic” and “Staring at the Sun.”

His songwriting has improved with each project he releases. “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is a great example of this.

His songs don’t fall flat as he attempts many new, entertaining ideas with general success.

However, this whirlpool of different, unrelated ideas and themes becomes the major downfall.

However, this whirlpool of different, unrelated ideas and themes becomes the major downfall of the album.

I found no narrative or focus to latch onto. Malone’s themes of wealth, relationships, and loneliness from other projects, bleed onto this album with no development or organization.

I enjoy the direction the album opens up with, but the twists and turns that follow make the experience slightly nauseating.

“A Thousand Bad Times,” made my appendix hurt with lyrics like, “Without that face, girl, you wouldn’t get far” and the chorus, “You make my life so hard, but that’s what gets me off.”

Apart from the few weaknesses, most of the songs on this album hold by themselves very well.

My favorite being the sounds and features from Ozzy Osborne of Black Sabbath, and Travis Scott on “Take What You Want.”

An epic tragedy that I can only enjoy because it’s impossible to take seriously, which is why it’s good.

If you are a fan of Malone, give this album a listen. The excellent songwriting makes the hooks sink quickly.

If you are unfamiliar with him, I would still recommend. Listen with an open mind, catching occasional flickers from the hot garbage and enjoyment.