We’re a few short weeks away from the release of Post Malone’s country album F-1 Trillion, and a pattern is starting to emerge. On each of the singles that he’s released so far, Posty teams up with an established country hitmaker, trading verses over jaunty instrumentation and belting out big melodies. He’s working with a combination of his usual guys — Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome — and Nashville-machine functionaries. And he’s ending up with an almost defiantly un-revolutionary take on mainstream country. He’s committed to not sounding weird at all.
We’ve heard that pattern at work on “I Had Some Help,” the megahit with Morgan Wallen, and on the Blake Shelton duet “Pour Me A Drink.” We hear it again on “Guy For That,” Posty’s new single with Luke Combs, who was one of country’s biggest stars long before his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” became a major crossover hit last year. On “Guy For That,” Post Malone and Luke Combs sing about how they know people who can fix all kinds of things, but they can’t find someone to help out their ex with her broken heart. Aww. It’s a perfectly functional song, and you can hear it below.
F-1 Trillion is out 8/16 on Mercury/Republic. Luke Combs released his own album Fathers & Sons last month, and I have to say, I really like “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” his big and riff-happy Southern rocker from the Twisters soundtrack.