The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

Emotion, Bangers, and Country?: Post Malone “beerbongs and bentleys” Album Review

The+cover+for+%E2%80%9Cbeerbongs+and+bentleys%E2%80%9D+is+likely+inspired+by+Kanye+West%E2%80%99s+album+%E2%80%9CYeezus%2C%E2%80%9D+of+a+picture+of+a+CD.+It+has+barbed+wire+wrapped+around+it+with+a+yellow+background%2C+similar+to+the+marketing+style+of+this+album.+
via iTunes
The cover for “beerbongs and bentleys” is likely inspired by Kanye West’s album “Yeezus,” of a picture of a CD. It has barbed wire wrapped around it with a yellow background, similar to the marketing style of this album.

Hip-hop and R&B artist Post Malone has finally released his new album, “beerbongs & bentleys.” The wait for this album was a long one, most likely due to the fact that the success of his singles — most notably “Rockstar” — led him to delay the release of the full album. All three of his singles — “Rockstar,” “Candy Paint” and “Psycho” — have been played hundreds of millions of times already, and with how great these were, I anticipated this album even more.

His first album — “Stoney,” released in December of 2016 — had some great songs on it but also some dull and uninspired songs, resulting in a boring album. With the release of “beerbongs & bentleys,” I was hoping for a more exciting and cleaner album.

He completely exceeded my expectations.

The album starts off with a mellow, melancholy track, “Paranoid” — similar to the sound of the first track of Stoney, “Broken Whiskey Glass” — except this is much less empty. The beat is an echoey and atmospheric sound that seems like it would drag on and become boring, but the drums and kicks keep it in place along with Post’s very eerie but catchy lyrics and hook. In my opinion, it is a good introduction song, giving us the two things that I think the whole album excels in: catchy, moody hits.

Then, it translates into “Spoil My Night” featuring Swae Lee, which I think is an underwhelming collaboration. It has a catchy hook, and lines from Post are pretty funny. But even so, his and Swae Lee’s lines are boring and make the song unexciting. Speaking of collaborations, they aren’t too bad here. Obviously, the collabs from the singles were incredible, and Nicki Minaj on “Ball For Me” was clean and made the song one of my favorites. But songs like “Same *****es” are fun songs and G-Eazy had an enjoyable verse, but YG sort of stopped all momentum the song had, making it kind of awkward.

One of the biggest downsides to this album is definitely the repetitiveness. Post isn’t strong in his lyrics; it’s more of his vibe that delivers great songs, and that’s usually from the production which unfortunately has moderately the same vibe on. The bass and drum patterns are nearly identical on most of the tracks, giving this album a handful of filler. That should not distract the fact that there are also tons of extremely versatile tracks.

Now on to the good tracks; there are a lot of them. The strongest track on this I think — or one of the strongest — is “Over Now.” This is a very odd track and takes a new sort of vibe from Post. Although the mood is still slightly emo or sad, it is a hyped up track with a chorus that is very mesmerizing and catchy. Multiple times it breaks down either into the chorus again or some other verse and makes it transition smoothly with no parts that seem off.

Another one of the strongest tracks that I have to mention is “Stay.” “Stay” is Post’s country song, similar to the one called “Leave” on his debut album, except this one is better in every way. Not only has Post’s singing improved, but the whole song itself is incredible. The lyrics are great; they’re catchy, and the guitar chords on this are actually interesting and unique. This moody song leaves us very emotional and doesn’t ever bore the listener as it’s enjoyable until the end.

The last quarter of the songs I think are definitely his strongest. Songs like “92 Explorer” give us a very fun track with an interesting instrument clicking away, and is the biggest banger of the album with a vibe that is different from the rest of the high energy songs on the album.

There is only one interlude on this album called “Jonestown” and it is to some extent a creepy track. The lyrics and title are relating to the Jonestown massacre of 1978, where a cult leader convinced and forced over 900 Americans to drink poison and they all died. He relates this to his drug addictions and alcohol problems, in which he knows its bad for him but he doesn’t care and continues to do it.

In comparison to his debut album, “beerbongs and bentleys” is such a huge improvement. It boasts more cohesive songs, singing improvements, and more enjoyable and concise material. Post provides us with great songs that are good for parties, late car ride, or any sort of environment really. The only off thing about this album was his lyrical writing and repetitiveness which a lot of his contemporaries obviously do better, like Kendrick Lamar, for example. Sure this isn’t a perfect album, nor does it reach the level of masterpiece other MC’s have, but it sure delivers us a solid project, full of fun listens.

I would rate this album a light 8/10 for its pure entertainment and emotion, and give little negatives other than the slight repetitiveness and weak-ish lyrics. “beerbongs and bentleys” is available on all streaming services.

View Comments (4)

Comments (4)

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  • M

    Maxwell YangMay 18, 2018 at 10:13 am

    I think the title is spelled wrong…

    Reply
  • J

    Jones CarlMay 15, 2018 at 9:35 am

    Awesome, this album was so dope

    Reply
  • J

    JaimeMay 15, 2018 at 7:32 am

    You should review the Pinkerton album from Weezer. It’s the best.

    Reply
    • J

      Jeff DunhamMay 16, 2018 at 10:04 am

      lol no

      Reply