F-1 Trillion

F-1 Trillion
Studio album by Post Malone
Released	August 16, 2024 (2024-08-16)
Genre	Country[1][2]
Length	57:51
Label	Republic Mercury
Producer	Louis Bell Charlie Handsome Hoskins
Post Malone chronology
Austin (2023) F-1 Trillion (2024)
F-1 Trillion: Long Bed
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from F-1 Trillion
"I Had Some Help" Released: May 10, 2024 "Pour Me a Drink" Released: June 21, 2024 "Guy for That" Released: July 26, 2024

F-1 Trillion is the sixth studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released through Republic and Mercury 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).

The album was supported by the release of three singles: "I Had Some Help", "Pour Me a Drink", and "Guy for That". Upon release, F-1 Trillion received mostly positive reviews from music critics. An extended edition of the album, subtitled Long Bed, was released less than 12 hours after its release.

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."

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]

On June 25, 2024, Malone shared the dates for the F-1 Trillion Tour, which will begin 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.^[13]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.4/10[14]
Metacritic	71/100[15]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Clash	7/10[2]
The Guardian	[16]
The Independent	[17]
The Observer	[18]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
The Telegraph	[21]

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".^[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[14]

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".^[20] 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".^[17]

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".^[19] 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'".^[21]

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".^[16] 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.^[22] 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".^[18]

In the United Kingdom the album debouted atop the Official Albums Chart, becoming Malone's third to debut at number one and tenth charting in the top ten in his career.^[23]

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.

Musicians

Technical

• Louis Bell – production, engineering, vocal production
• Charlie Handsome – production
• Hoskins – co-production (tracks 3, 8)
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Ryan Gore – mixing
• 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)