Review Summary: A tragic disconnect
Whether you enjoy the Youtube series
Hot Ones or not, I think it’s pretty agreeable that Sean Evans knows how to display the most interesting facets of his interviewees. Even during the most intense questions, as his guest is practically
dying because of how hot the sauce is, he is able to paint a unique picture of each individual with his inquiries. But hot damn (pun intended)… the new Post Malone interview is a different beast altogether - not because of Evans, but rather the first impression Malone makes as soon as the video starts. Regardless of how you feel about his music, what’s admirable about the guy is his ability to immediately light up a room with his positivity, whether it’s in the form of talking passionately about his hobbies or complimenting Evans for seemingly minute things. He gives off the impression of a man who is deeply appreciative of the chances he’s gotten in life, and doesn’t seem to be putting on a front.
This persona, whether genuine or not, is crucial to the songs found on
Twelve Carat Toothache. While the music itself is still within Malone’s pop wheelhouse, the lyrics take on a much more contemplative tone; topics such as depression, alcoholism, and what Malone refers to as “the human spirit” are sung about in more explicit terms than on previous records, but there’s a fascinating ray of hope that covers much of the affair as well. In fact, the album cover is a great metaphor for both the musical and lyrical content: a butterfly in the darkness, being exposed to that little bit of light that allows it to carry on. There’s something else that’s striking about
Twelve Carat Toothache as well: the runtime. Only 42 minutes, which seems crazy for a pop album in the streaming age, but this was a deliberate move on Malone’s part; in the same
Hot Ones interview, he discussed his intention to make a record that operates more as an experience - or in his words, a “living, breathing entity” - than a giant mess of tracks meant to hike up the stream count.
However, this does present the central dilemma regarding
Twelve Carat Toothache: the fact that it
is a bit of a mess despite its runtime. And it’s not in regards to the organization of the tracklist, as much as it is with the songs themselves. There’s an oddly unfinished-sounding, underwhelming quality to many of the tunes here, which creates a curious clash: Malone is laying out so many personal thoughts and bleeding out lyrically, but doing so over music that tends to be dull and/or fragmented. There are a few times in which everything comes together nicely; for instance, “Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol” is a deep dive into how the euphoric feeling of alcohol conflicts with the damage it causes. The music isn’t the most original, but the symphonic keys create a nice dramatic backdrop and accompany Malone’s voice quite well. The same praise can be extended to “Reputation”, a frankly lovely ballad that enters some new musical territory for Malone; meanwhile, the lyrics address heavy topics such as alcoholism and suicide, and the tender piano chords fit the whole thing perfectly.
Unfortunately, other songs aren’t so lucky. A Malone/Doja Cat collab might have sounded like a good idea on paper, but “I Like You (A Happier Song)” is an extremely bland tune that sounds like a diet Ariana Grande song - think “34+35” (even with a similar chord progression!), but with less personality. Then we get to the tracks that fall into that “underwhelming” category from earlier, such as the stale beat that permeates “Cooped Up” - something that even the guest Roddy Rich can’t save - or the dull trap-influenced “Insane”; it’s not like either of these songs are terrible, but there’s nothing about them that really stands out. And unfortunately, on an album this comparatively short, you definitely don’t want to have several songs lacking the ability to “stand out”; sadly, despite the interesting lyrical choices of
Twelve Carat Toothache, this is a problem that runs through a solid chunk of the album. It’s a shame because this is Post Malone at his most vulnerable and personal, but the disconnect quality-wise between the music and the lyrics really doesn’t help its case. This is a record that just constantly makes you
wish you could enjoy it because of Malone’s charisma and the fact that he was willing to try some new things here. However, all it leaves us with is an inconsistent affair that never quite reaches the lofty heights it sets out to reach.
