Simren Shah
Associate Features Editor
Post Malone’s new debut album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” conveys Post’s views on topics including fake friends, heartbreak, overcoming obstacles, and the positive and negative costs of fame.
The album is highly collaborative and includes features from DaBaby, Future, Halsey, Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott, SZA, and more. Some songs were released as singles way before the release of the album. These songs include “Wow,” Post’s latest single “Goodbyes,” and “Sunflower” from the movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
The title song, “Hollywood’s Bleeding”, starts with some spooky vibes that are perfect for the anticipation of Halloween. The lyrics examine what it is like to stay in L.A. Post makes it evident that he experiences what many popular artists feel: fame is lonely. The last lines of his intro are “Dyin’ in our sleep, we’re livin’ out a dream/We only make it out alone.” According to Post, everyone is up all night partying but no one really cares about each other.
The second through fourth line of the first verse reads, “City up in smoke, it’s only ash when it rains/Howl at the moon and go to sleep in the day/Love for everybody ‘til the drugs fade away.” Post recognizes that partying together does not necessarily entail any deeper connection. Post feels that the morning after a party when the drugs fade away and when it is raining outside reveals more truth than the parties themselves. It is “only ash when it rains” because Post feels there is no real substance in L.A. other than the substances that people are consuming, which inevitably fade away.
Post displays his views on society again in “Internet” where he satires social media platforms such as Instagram.“F*** the internet and you can quote that/Well if ignorance is bliss then don’t wake me up/And I’ll probably be the last to know ‘Cause I don’t get on the internet no more.” These lines from “Internet” resonate the need that people feel to constantly be in the loop and be concerned with the lives of others via social media. Being a public figure means having a constant presence because fans expect updates, and people are constantly talking about Post. He says he would rather be ignorant and at peace than be on the internet where everything is so artificial.
The album is unique because it combines rock and rap in the song “Take What You Want” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott. The song seems to be about not being able to trust a woman that Post cared for.
“Circles” conveys a more chill vibe about going around in circles with a lover. This song appears after “A Thousand Bad Times” where Post resolves to be unbothered by the way he is treated by others since he has already been through so much.
“You try to blow my house down but what’s another house to me?” is a confident line by Post. Essentially, he is saying that he has been through so many games with lovers that he can handle anything at this point.
Then there is Halsey’s iconic line in “Die For Me” where she sings, “I don’t play anymore, I went through your phone/And called all the girls in your DM’s and took them all home.”
Post and some of the artists he features feel it is hard to trust others because of experiences they have had. Perhaps this is why in “On The Road” post talks about his journey in terms of how he has not had anyone consistently by his side.
Overall, Post speaks on topics that can resonate with everyone on some level. Love, heartbreak, loneliness, distrust in others and society as a whole are some meaningful themes. The rhythm and beats in his songs along with the lyrics make this album stand out.
