Nearly one year ago today marks the release date for Post Malone’s third studio album, Hollywood’s Bleeding. His first two albums, Stoney and Beerbongs & Bentleys, broke Spotify streaming records and topped the Billboard charts, cementing himself as one of the talented new artists in the music industry.

In celebration of one of my favorite albums of all time, I’ll be breaking down and reviewing the album. I’ll be going through some of the most essential tracks and giving my input on the album thematically. 

Post Malone begins his project with the album-titled track, “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” This track is split up into three moods: ominous, energetic, and sad. The words “Hollywood’s bleeding, but we call it home” touches on Malone’s lack of fulfillment with the glamorous lifestyle of Hollywood. He also could be indicating that he thinks Hollywood has become a two-faced city of celebrities that gives a false representation of American values. 

Track three, “Enemies,” has a very under appreciated chorus that describes his come up in the music industry. Post writes, “Used to have friends, now I got enemies. Used to keep ‘em close, now they dead to me.” This chorus reflects on how his closest friends became his worst enemies when he finally got the desired celebrity status. 

“A Thousand Bad Times” is a sad song where we can see Post lamenting over the failed relationships of the past. On the second verse, we hear the words, “But this is what I chose, it’s the law of attraction.” After some research, the pseudo-scientific “law of attraction” is the idea that thinking about something will eventually cause it to manifest itself in reality. Moreover, this song explains Post’s constant eagerness to find a happy and healthy relationship.

Track seven titled “On the Road” explains Post Malone’s feelings toward his fake fans. His 2017 record breaking single “Rockstar,” which topped the Billboard charts for the entirety of two months, widened his fan base to one of the largest in the music industry. While a larger audience is appreciated, he’s irritated by the fans who haven’t been with him since his come up in music. He explains his frustrations singing, “Cause I been on the road, quit actin’ like you been with me this whole time.”

Lastly, “I’m Gonna Be” is possibly my favorite song on the entire album. This track speaks about society’s quick judgment on his every move. Anyone who knows Post Malone knows that he has an ugly and unique stigma surrounding his name. This song is Post’s way of telling the world that he doesn’t care about what others think about him. The uplifting vibes of the song encourage people to have some self confidence and do whatever they want to in life.

Thematically, Hollywood’s Bleeding speaks on the consequences of living with your possessions. Once love has abandoned you, you are forced to come back to a lack of fulfillment with these possessions. Throughout the album, he not only constantly tries to justify his stay in Hollywood, but also tries to justify his stay in the relationships he chooses to be in.

Post Malone finds himself in situations he already knows the answer to, but wanting something to change. He is literally running in “Circles.” By the end of the album, he comes to no clear of a resolution than the beginning of the album. It doesn’t seem like he learned enough or anything at all, which is why he titled this album Hollywood’s Bleeding and not Hollywood’s Dead. The bleeding is what makes him run in circles, not finding the answers he so desperately wants.

I’d highly recommend giving Hollywood’s Bleeding a listen if you like many genres. Post Malone has become known for blending sounds of Pop, Folk, and R&B all into one Hip-Hop styled album.

FINAL SCORE: 10/10

Links: 

Apple Music

 Spotify