If Brat summer feels a bit too reckless, a bit too heavy on strappy tops and just too damn green, then how about the equally ubiquitous country summer? Think Red Wing boots, Stetsons and chewing tobacco instead of Parliament Blues. We had country-pop crossover icon Shania Twain playing Glastonbury’s legends slot afternoon in June, while country-coded summer blockbuster Twisters featured a litany of the genre’s biggest superstars on its soundtrack. Meanwhile, in the US charts, the No 1 spot has been dominated by two songs: A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey, who was given a nudge into the spotlight via Beyoncé’s country crossover, Cowboy Carter, and I Had Some Help. The latter finds erstwhile SoundCloud rapper turned crooning pop superstar Post Malone collaborating with country jackass Morgan Wallen, whose two most recent albums haven’t left the US chart all summer.
For Texas-raised Post Malone, real name Austin Richard Post, this shift into country has felt like a long time coming. Back in 2015, just as his polarising viral trap hit White Iverson was taking hold, he was asked about his role in the rap ecosystem. “The old country singers, they were badass, they were the American badass people,” he replied, ignoring the specifics of the question. “I’m an American badass. At 40 years old, I’m gonna be a country singer.” At just 29, that shift is complete with F-1 Trillion, an exhaustive 18-track country flex crammed full of the genre’s biggest hitters, from Wallen to Luke Combs to Blake Shelton.
