In the months preceding Post Malone’s seminal crossover album F-1 Trillion, there were definitely a few who called the genre-agnostic superstar’s country bonafides into question. For almost half a decade, indie-country fans dreamed up this vision of a face-tattooed Country Music Jedi who would roll into Nashville and bring balance to the Force with rugged, acoustic songcraft in the vein of Sturgill Simpson and Colter Wall. However, the Post Malone we were introduced to in 2024 was not that kind of country contrarian.
He arrived with a spirit of goodwill toward Nashville and its many glitzy superstars. Now pushing 30, Posty was no longer interested in presenting as an edgy, sad boy. In a genre that’s always been light on gatekeepers, he was here to get along and have fun. He danced his way into the format with the endlessly catchy pop-country smash “I Had Some Help,” and at that point, it was clear that Country Post was a little more commercially pragmatic than many may have wanted.
That collaborative spirit was the ultimate bedrock of F-1 Trillion, and boy, was it ever collaborative. As fans know, the album boasted an eye-popping guest list fit for a CMA red carpet. The result was an eclectic mix of country music that never really committed all the way to any one niche. Pre-released singles like “Guy For That” sounded ripe for pop radio, while old-school crooners such as “Never Love You Again” gave traditionalists that rootsier flavor they wished for.
While Post Malone clearly approached F-1 Trillion with a refreshing sense of reverence that’s foreign to most cross-genre interlopers, it’s fair to question the lack of overall cohesion on the project. We know that Post is a country fan, but the chameleonic nature of the project makes it tough to view him as a country artist in his own right; for the most part, every song carried the flavor of the artist he collaborated with. The solo tracks were certainly cool, but with only three of them, many fans may still wonder, “Who is Country Post really?”
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Enter F-1 Trillion: Long Bed. With one of the most impressive expansion packs that modern music has ever seen, Post Malone crystalized his vision for his own country artistry; in doing so, he simultaneously appeased casual country fans who dig his catchy radio singles and those rock-ribbed diehards who will accept nothing less than their favorite 90s country gold.
On the nine songs that make up “Disc 2” of F-1 Trillion, fans never get the impression that they’re being “sold” anything. Posty feels extremely comfortable in his skin and owns a greater sense of belonging in country music than Disc 1 may have suggested. In music conversation, the word “authentic” is a bit overused, but these glossy, 90s-inspired country tunes fit Post Malone’s personality like a glove; in essence, it sounds like the music he’s supposed to make right now.
From that first twangy Telecaster riff on “Fallin’ In Love,” F-1 Trillion no longer feels like an “event” album but simply a quality country album by a quality country artist. Sure, Post Malone still pays homage to the casual country fan’s favorite topics (alcohol, heartbreak, and death, to name a few), and he name-checks “Hank and Johnny.” But even so, what true-blue honky-tonker doesn’t?
Even with the typical cheese of your favorite 90s country singles, the bulk of Long Bed is decidedly less kitschy and cutesy than the tracks that came before it. Gratefully, there are no Nashvillian pun songs like “Goes Without Saying” to speak of. Like the best cuts on Disc 1, all nine of these tracks thrive on novel storytelling and Posty’s awkward charisma. Without a revolving door of duet partners, listeners get to know Country Post and his silly, occasionally self-loathing demeanor.
Even as fun as Long Bed’s lighter moments are, Post Malone should also be given credit for digging a little deeper and accessing some moodier storytelling chops. “Killed a Man” is an intensely dark country dirge that sees him seeking vengeance against the worst parts of himself. Though country music is obviously filled with similar stories, Post Malone’s sordid history as a hip-hop party animal puts him in a unique place narratively. It’s easy to imagine friendly, ballcap-wearing Country Post pitting himself against the licentious provocateur who made Beerbongs & Bentleys. It’s especially cool that he’s not trying to do a full 180 from his years as a pop star and become a different person for his more wholesome country audience. Instead, he allows his past to make him a more believable, multi-dimensional character.
For better or worse, country music has a reputation externally as the “storytelling” genre, though precious little storytelling generally takes place on country radio. Post Malone has definitely embraced that aspect of the genre’s history, whether that’s on fictitious yarns like “Dead At the Honky Tonk” or the tragically honest “Two Hearts.” On the latter track, Post draws some inspiration from his own upbringing, reminiscing about the pain of a child caught between their parents’ divorce. Topically, longtime Post Malone fans may be caught offguard by this kind of innocent vulnerability from the star, which makes this cut especially interesting.
Perhaps most praiseworthy of all, the sound of this LP draws on the best Disc 1 had to offer, with no shortage of fiddle, steel, or chicken-picking guitar licks. There aren’t quite as many country-pop moments, but in the end, the 90s country sound of Post’s upbringing suits him better as a solo act; songs like “I Had Some Help” just wouldn’t stand out without his energetic duet partners. The star’s longtime producer, Louis Bell, shines in a big way as well. As musically mercurial as Post Malone is, Bell has always had a special knack for matching his vibe, whether it’s on bouncy pop songs like “Sunflower” or a bar-room sing-along like “Go To Hell.” As a fan, it makes you wonder if Bell may be open to staying involved in country music a little while longer.
No matter how long he sticks around the format, Post Malone has made a creative, meaningful contribution to the country music canon. Long Bed takes inspiration from the original F-1 Trillion and distills its strongest elements into a clear artistic self-portrait for Post. While the thesis of Disc 1 seemed to be “Post Malone wants to be a country artist,” Disc 2 is a bolder, more emphatic statement: “Post Malone is a country artist.”
