I saw a tweet the other day talking about the "White Boy of the Year" over the last few years. It gave the title to Tyler Herro in 2020 and Jack Harlow in 2021, and they asked who deserved the spot in 2022. Judging by the replies to that tweet, Joe Burrow is the frontrunner, but Post Malone deserves a nomination at the very least.

Post is about to become a dad, he’s making good music, and he has all the money and success he could ask for at the age of 26. He doesn’t show any sign of slowing down in his latest album, Twelve Carat Toothache, which was released on June 3rd. The project is his first since his 2019 album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, and features A-listers like Doja Cat, The Kid LAROI, and The Weeknd.

I’m constantly impressed by Post’s ability to change his sound for each album while staying true to himself. Twelve Carat Toothache had a more dark and depressing vibe than any of his previous projects and further leaned into this by not including recent trap-sounding singles like “Motley Crew.”

The album title fits the mood perfectly. Post is rich enough to afford a 12K tooth, but it still causes him pain. In more generic terms… things are good, but not perfect. Songs dive into his experience seeing the downside of money and fame, and he touches on some serious topics, like in “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol (with Fleet Foxes).”

Post’s vocals and melodies are always unbelievable, and they had me hooked the whole way through. The vibrato (or the way his voice quivers), however, was a bit overkill in certain songs. He must have been really cold while recording “Lemon Tree” because he straight up sounds like he’s shivering for the first 2 minutes.

I’m just being critical, because the album is fire overall. In terms of best songs, I’m not gonna sit here and give you one answer, but I’ll give you something better. Here are the best songs for:

• Conceiving a child - “When I’m Alone”
• Aux at the pregame - “Cooped Up (with Roddy Ricch)”
• Driving alone at night crying - “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song) (with Gunna)”

These songs are fire, but I still haven’t addressed the question asked in this article’s title. To answer directly, no, Twelve Carat Toothache is not Post Malone’s best album yet. In fact, the title was clickbait because in my book, nothing will ever top his 2016 debut album, Stoney. The project is still very solid though.

I have a feeling these songs are about to become grossly overplayed by the radio, grocery stores, and other establishments, so you’ll be hearing the album sooner or later. Consider this your last chance to listen by choice, check it out below.

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