"Chemical" is a song by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released through

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

and Mercury Records as the lead single from his fifth studio album, ''

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

'', on April 14, 2023. The song was produced by Malone himself, Andrew Watt, and Louis Bell, and the three wrote it alongside Billy Walsh. One week after its release, the song appeared as the last track on Malone's first compilation album, ''

The Diamond Collection ''The Diamond Collection'' is the first compilation album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released through Republic and Mercury Records on April 21, 2023. The album features guest appearances from Quavo, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla $ig ...

'', which was released to celebrate him becoming the artist with the most diamond-certified singles by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), although the song was not certified at the time of the album's release.

Background

In an early 2022 interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' ahead of the release of his fourth studio album, ''

Twelve Carat Toothache ''Twelve Carat Toothache'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Post Malone. It was released on June 3, 2022, by Republic Records and Mercury Records. The album contains 14 tracks and includes guest appearances from Roddy Ri ...

'' (2022), Malone expressed plans to rebuild his artistic vision, even if that meant to compromise commercial success. "Chemical" marks his first release as a lead artist since the album. On April 12, 2023, Malone posted a clip of him listening to the song on his social media and announced the release.

Composition

"Chemical" is a pop rock and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

song that sees Malone return to his trademark sound, while the song is also accompanied by an acoustic "folk-based" guitar and "contemporary pop elements". It includes a "bright and catchy" chorus, which was described as a "contrast" to his previous moodier offerings. Despite the upbeat vibe of the chorus, the lyrical content was viewed as "on-brand" for Malone, as he opens up about his inability to let go of a seemingly toxic relationship, akin to an addiction.

Music video

The accompanying official music video for "Chemical", directed by Alfred Marroquin, was released on April 14, 2023. It sees Malone in different locations, including him smoking in a car like he says in the song as well as him dancing in front of a beach,

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

, lightning, and cloud backdrop. In the beginning of the video he briefly walks by a nighttime backdrop. The same backdrop can be seen at the very end of the video as he's seen sitting on top of a vehicle. In the beginning of the video and towards the middle of it, someone from behind the scenes can be seen pushing the backdrops, making way for a different backdrop. Malone also posted a lyric video, in which different angles are shown. The quality of the lyric video was reduced to create a retro effect.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Post Malone 2023 singles 2023 songs Mercury Records singles Post Malone songs Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Post Malone Song recordings produced by Andrew Watt (record producer) Song recordings produced by Louis Bell Songs written by Andrew Watt (record producer) Songs written by Louis Bell Songs written by Post Malone American pop rock songs