F-1 Trillion is the sixth studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released through Mercury and Republic Records on August 16, 2024. The album marks Malone's transition to country music and features guest appearances from Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ernest, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton, Hardy, and Billy Strings. Production was handled by Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, and Hoskins. It serves as the follow-up to Malone's previous album, Austin (2023).

F-1 Trillion
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 16, 2024 (2024-08-16)
Genre
Length57:51
Label
Producer
Post Malone chronology
Austin
(2023)
F-1 Trillion
(2024)
F-1 Trillion: Long Bed
Singles from F-1 Trillion
  1. "I Had Some Help"
    Released: May 10, 2024
  2. "Pour Me a Drink"
    Released: June 21, 2024
  3. "Guy for That"
    Released: July 26, 2024
  4. "What Don't Belong to Me"
    Released: September 12, 2024

The album was supported by the release of four singles: "I Had Some Help", "Pour Me a Drink", "Guy for That", and "What Don't Belong to Me". Upon release, F-1 Trillion received mostly positive reviews from music critics and debuted atop the Billboard 200 and UK Albums Charts. An extended edition of the album, subtitled Long Bed, was released twelve hours after the standard edition.

Background and composition

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I split my time between a lot of different things because I am happily obligated to do concerts and show love to my fans and then I'm happily obligated to write music and make beats by myself, and I'm happily obligated to, you know, take care of my family. So, it's a lot of time, and it's about finding that space to allot that time. If I get another year to myself, maybe I'll make a fucking country album.

— Post Malone to The Howard Stern Show in 2022

In June 2022, Malone was interviewed by The Howard Stern Show, in which he was asked by host Howard Stern about potentially making a country album in the future: "To be honest, there's nothing stopping me from taking a camera or setting up in my studio in Utah and just recording a country album [to put] on YouTube. I'm allowed to do that. I'm a human being".[3][4][5] Malone began exploring country music for the first time in 2023, when he appeared on a re-recording of "Pickup Man" by Joe Diffie, reaching the Hot Country Songs chart for the first time at number 34. In April 2024, he appeared on Beyoncé's country album Cowboy Carter as a featured artist on the track "Levii's Jeans", later peaking at number 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[6] F-1 Trillion features collaborations with numerous artists from the country genre, including Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ernest, Sierra Ferrell, Chris Stapleton, Hardy, and Billy Strings, while the album's production was handled by Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, and Hoskins. In an interview with Apple Music,[7] Malone explained the recording and writing process of the album:[8]

"I've always wanted to make a record like this, but for the longest time, it seems so inaccessible because I don't know how the hell it works. But going in there and meeting Derek and Larry Franklin and Paul Franklin and Craig and Dave Cohen and Aaron, and it was just, like, so cool. And then it's crazy to watch Derek Charta a playthrough of a voice memo and chart it and then go in there and they know it immediately. But we would go for like a week at a time or like a week and a half and around work and everything, and we would go and just write. And there's a lot of writers on these songs because we just sat and we stayed up till, like, six in the morning. All the buddies came in. We all just drank and fucking tossed shit around.  And I learned that that's nothing usually, how it goes. Instead, we have, like, Luke and Mo and Hardy, and we're just sitting. And we got so many writers and not even necessarily there to write, just to, like, jam and then hang out."

Promotion

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Singles

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On May 10, 2024, Malone released the lead single of the album, "I Had Some Help", which features American country music singer Morgan Wallen. Commercially, the song debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 with the highest weekly sales and streams since 2020, giving Malone his sixth number-one song.[9] On May 16, 2024, Malone performed the unreleased song "Never Love You Again" and "I Had Some Help" at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas.[10] On June 21, 2024, Malone released the second single of the album, "Pour Me a Drink", featuring American country music singer Blake Shelton, and also shared the album's cover art. On July 16, Malone performed at Music City's Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tennessee. The set included the unreleased songs "Yours" and "Hide My Gun", with HARDY joining him for the latter song. On July 26, 2024, Malone released the third single of the album, "Guy for That", which features American country music singer Luke Combs. The track listing of the album was confirmed on July 31 via social media. An extended edition of the album, subtitled Long Bed, was released less than 12 hours after its release, featuring nine additional tracks.[11][12] "What Don't Belong to Me" was sent to Italian radio station as the album's fourth single on September 12, 2024.[13]

Tour

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On June 25, 2024, Malone shared the dates for the F-1 Trillion Tour, which began on September 8, 2024, at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah, and will conclude on October 27, 2024, at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin, Texas.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10[15]
Metacritic71/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Clash7/10[2]
The Guardian     [17]
The Independent     [18]
The Observer     [19]
Pitchfork7.0/10[20]
Rolling Stone     [21]
The Telegraph     [22]

F-1 Trillion was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a weighted average score of 71, based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[15]

Robin Murray of Clash gave the album a positive review, commending Malone's creativity and his commercial appeal. Murray states that even though F-1 Trillion at times is "struggling beneath its own weight", the album "is a love letter to the genre".[2] Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic reviewed F-1 Trillion positively, describing the album as "full-on country foray" and opining that the album will please fans of the country music genre.[1] In a positive review, Joseph Hudak of Rolling Stone wrote that the album would have benefited from containing fewer features and more solo songs from Malone. Hudak praised "the most stripped-down" tracks, highlighting "Never Love You Again", "Missin' You Like This", and "M-E-X-I-C-O".[21] Writing for The Independent, Helen Brown praised Malone's songwriting skills and states that the album showcases his skills in songcraft. She wrote that although F-1 Trillion "loses some of his distinctive sound – and has none of the cool experiments of Beyoncé's record – it also showcases his undeniable songcrafting [sic] chops. Drivetime DJs are going to love it, and their listeners are all going to feel they're at the wheels of beaten-up American trucks".[18]

Writing for Pitchfork, Meaghan Garvey opined that Malone's "shift to fun, low-stakes pop-country feels so right, you wonder why it took so long". Garvey comments further on Malone's entry into the country music scene, writing that "there's enough proof here that Post has the voice, demeanor, and goodwill to easily ingratiate himself into the Nashville scene".[20] Neil McCormick of The Telegraph commended the album, writing that it represents "pure good ol' boy country" and that "Malone proves genuinely good at this stuff, with a sharp lyrical wit and sweet singing voice that rises to heights of soulful passion when needs be, notably on the disco flecked 'What Don't Belong to Me' and twisty alt-folk of 'Nosedive'".[22]

In a mixed review, Michael Cragg of The Guardian believed the album to be "a little formulaic" and in need of more risk-taking by Malone. Cragg wrote that "there's a lot to enjoy about F-1 Trillion, and it feels tailor-made for chart domination, but as much as Malone felt hip hop was limiting his oeuvre, it at least gifted him moments to really let loose, as on the ludicrous epic 'Take What You Want' featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott. On F-1 Trillion, trussed up in full country cosplay, he's shooting a little too straight".[17] In a review for Consequence, Mary Siroky wrote that "F-1 Trillion is enjoyable because Post Malone came to have fun — and, more importantly, to commit fully to a genre he has clearly long enjoyed and admired. He did the work, and it paid off. The tunes are accessible and perfectly aligned with what so many people love about the genre, but if Malone continues in this vein, the things he should chase are those moments where his heart is totally on the line". Garvey opined that "most of the collaborations are solid" on the record, praising Dolly Parton's performance on "Have The Heart", while criticizing the song "Hide My Gun" and the opening track "Wrong Ones" for their lack of energy.[23] Ammar Kalia of The Observer described F-1 Trillion as "surprisingly enjoyable", while deeming it too long, "overly polished and missing the instrumental virtuosity central to the genre".[19]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, F-1 Trillion debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, earning 250,000 album-equivalent units, including 80,000 in pure album sales. With the deluxe edition included, the album's tracks earned a total of 212,86 million on-demand streams in its first week. It is Malone's third album to reach number one on the chart, and sixth album to reach the top-ten.[24] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, becoming Malone's third to debut at that position.[25] The album also topped the charts in Canada,[26] the Netherlands,[27] New Zealand[28] and Norway.[29]

Track listing

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All tracks produced by Louis Bell and Charlie Handsome, with "I Had Some Help", "Guy for That", and "Devil I've Been" also being additionally produced by Hoskins.

F-1 Trillion track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wrong Ones" (featuring Tim McGraw)3:15
2."Finer Things" (featuring Hank Williams Jr.)
3:05
3."I Had Some Help" (featuring Morgan Wallen)
2:58
4."Pour Me a Drink" (featuring Blake Shelton)
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • John Byron
  • Rocky Block
  • Jordan Dozzi
3:15
5."Have the Heart" (featuring Dolly Parton)
3:03
6."What Don't Belong to Me"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Gorley
  • James Maddocks
3:27
7."Goes Without Saying" (featuring Brad Paisley)
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Gorley
  • Thompson
  • Chase McGill
  • Joe Reeves
3:32
8."Guy for That" (featuring Luke Combs)
  • Post
  • Combs
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Hoskins
  • Smith
  • McNair
2:44
9."Nosedive" (featuring Lainey Wilson)
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Combs
  • Smith
  • Billy Walsh
  • McNair
3:12
10."Losers" (featuring Jelly Roll)
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Gorley
  • Walters
  • Reeves
3:29
11."Devil I've Been" (featuring Ernest)
  • Post
  • Smith
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Hoskins
  • Walters
3:02
12."Never Love You Again" (featuring Sierra Ferrell)
3:06
13."Missin' You Like This" (featuring Luke Combs)
3:42
14."California Sober" (featuring Chris Stapleton)
3:24
15."Hide My Gun" (featuring Hardy)
3:40
16."Right About You"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Walters
3:03
17."M-E-X-I-C-O" (featuring Billy Strings)
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • McGill
2:35
18."Yours"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Gorley
  • Taylor Philips
3:19
Total length:57:51
F-1 Trillion: Long Bed extended track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fallin' in Love"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Thompson
  • Block
2:51
2."Dead at the Honky Tonk"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Gorley
  • Byron
3:33
3."Killed a Man"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Geoff Warburton
  • Joe Fox
  • Jimi Bell
3:05
4."Ain't How it Ends"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Gorley
  • Reeves
3:21
5."Hey Mercedes"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
3:22
6."Go to Hell"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
4:27
7."Two Hearts"
3:26
8."Who Needs You"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Walters
  • Blake Pendergrass
2:49
9."Back to Texas"
  • Post
  • L. Bell
  • Vojtesak
  • Yuval Haim Chain
  • Hero Delano
  • Thompson
  • Block
2:47
Total length:87:44

Personnel

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Musicians

Technical

  • Louis Bell – production, engineering, vocal production
  • Charlie Handsome – production
  • Hoskins – co-production (tracks 3, 8)
  • Ted Jensenmastering
  • Ryan Goremixing
  • Trent Woodman – engineering (tracks 1–7, 9–18)
  • Eric Lutkins – engineering (track 1)
  • Byron Gallimore – vocal engineering (track 1)
  • Joey Moi – vocal engineering (tracks 3, 15)
  • Scott Hendricks – vocal engineering (track 4)
  • Andrew Boullianne – engineering assistance
  • Collin Reynolds – engineering assistance
  • Grant Morgan – engineering assistance (tracks 1–8, 10–18)
  • Nick Mac – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, 15)
  • Ryan Oswald – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, 15)

Charts

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Chart performance for F-1 Trillion
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 2
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[31] 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[32] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 15
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[35] 1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[36] 10
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[37] 4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[38] 19
French Albums (SNEP)[39] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 5
Greek Albums (IFPI)[41] 23
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[42] 6
Irish Albums (OCC)[43] 5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[44] 24
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[45] 20
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[46] 92
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[47] 43
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[29] 1
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[48] 33
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[49] 10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[50] 3
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[51] 13
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[52] 12
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[53] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[54] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[55] 1
UK Country Albums (OCC)[56] 1
US Billboard 200[57] 1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[58] 1

References

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  1. ^ a b c Yeung, Neil Z. "F-1 Trillion Post Malone". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (August 16, 2024). "Post Malone – F-1 Trillion Album Review". Clash. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Blistein, Jon (June 25, 2024). "All the Times Post Malone Went Country (Before He Officially Went Country)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Mendelsohn, Jon (June 9, 2023). "Post Malone Answers The Question: 'Are You Going to Do a Country Album?'". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (August 1, 2022). "Post Malone Earns Praise From Brad Paisley for a Cover of This Classic Country Hit". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (May 9, 2024). "Post Malone's Journey Into Country Music Continues With Another Hit". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Burditt, Peter (August 19, 2024). "Post Malone Details F-1 Trillion Recording Process After Years of Believing a Country Album Was "Inaccessible"". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Post Malone: The F-1 Trillion Interview | Apple Music (Video). August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Hollabaugh, Lorie (May 14, 2024). "Morgan Wallen & Post Malone Make History With 'I Had Some Help'". Music Row. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (May 16, 2024). "Watch Post Malone Debut New Country Song 'Never Love You Again' At The ACM Awards". Stereogum. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (August 16, 2024). "Post Malone Extends F-1 Trillion Project with Nine Additional Solo Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Jess (August 16, 2024). "Surprise! Post Malone Beefs Up F-1 Trillion Album With 9 More Tracks". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Mompellio, Gabriel (September 9, 2024). "POST MALONE - What Don't Belong To Me". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (June 25, 2024). "Post Malone Is Taking a 'Collection of Country Songs' on the Road for F-1 Trillion Tour: Here Are the Dates". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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  16. ^ a b "F-1 Trillion by Post Malone Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Cragg, Michael (August 16, 2024). "Post Malone: F-1 Trillion review – catchy country cosplay". The Guardian. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Brown, Helen (August 16, 2024). "Post Malone review, F-1 Trillion: Former rapper two-steps his way into country with stompin' guitar jams'". The Independent. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
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  23. ^ Siroky, Mary (August 16, 2024). "Post Malone's F-1 Trillion Is Perfectly Fine Country Music with an Extra Heaping of Heart". Consequence. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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  30. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
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  32. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
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  42. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 34 – 2024" [The Music – Albums – Week 34 – 2024] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
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  44. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  45. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: August 26, 2024" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  46. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of August 21, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  47. ^ "2024 34-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
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  49. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  50. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  51. ^ "Top 100 Slovak Albums". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  52. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  53. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  54. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Post Malone – F-1 Trillion". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
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  56. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
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