Recommended tracks: “Washed Up,” “Home feat Hiraku Utada,” “I Used To Be Cringe”
Artists you may like: Daniel Seavey, JVKE
Charlie Puth has always been a little too aware of himself. It’s like someone fixing their hair in the reflection of a wine glass but Whatever’s Clever!, Puth’s 4th studio album, is the first time he lets the glass stay smudged. And somehow, that’s what makes his latest album that much more beautiful.
This album leans fully into an 80s fantasy, but not the neon, TikTok-filtered version. Instead, it gives off the vibe of the scent of leather seats and expensive cologne, where the synths are warm and the drums feel like they’ve been echoing since before you were born. There’s yacht rock in its bloodstream, soft rock in its bones, and just enough pop precision to remind you that Puth still knows exactly what he’s doing. Critics have pointed out how deeply he commits to this era, building a sound that feels intentional rather than ironic, like he’s not revisiting the past, but he’s living in it for a while.
The songs themselves feel like small, self-aware confessions dressed up in expensive arrangements. “Changes” opens the album like a soft-focus realization; life has already moved on without asking you first. Then there’s “Don’t Meet Your Heroes,” which lingers like a cigarette you didn’t mean to finish, quietly dismantling the idea of perfection. And by the time you reach “I Used to Be Cringe,” closing the album with that almost embarrassing level of self-awareness, it doesn’t feel like a joke — it feels like an apology, or maybe a shrug.
Where the album really indulges itself is in its collaborations, and somehow that indulgence works. Ravyn Lenae glides through “New Jersey” with this soft, nostalgic gloss, while Hikaru Utada turns “Home” into something more intimate than it has any right to be. Coco Jones on “Sideways” is the kind of pairing you wouldn’t expect until you hear it and realize it should’ve happened sooner. It’s effortless, a little sultry, and completely locked in.
And then, in a move that feels both excessive and completely correct, Puth invites in the ghosts of soft rock’s past Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins on “Love in Exile,” which plays like a foot-stomping, sunset-drive fantasy. Even Jeff Goldblum appears, which sounds like a bit until it isn’t, adding this strange, theatrical charm to the album’s final stretch.
What’s most interesting is how little the album tries to chase anything. Earlier Puth records wanted to be hits, and you could feel them reaching for it. This one doesn’t. It drifts, sometimes almost too comfortably, but in a way that feels intentional, like a long drive where you stop paying attention to the destination. Some critics have even called it his strongest work yet, precisely because he finally lets himself have fun instead of trying to prove something.
And maybe that’s the real shift: Whatever’s Clever! isn’t clever in the way the title suggests. It’s not trying to impress you. It’s trying to sit with you. Like Charlie Puth finally realized that being a little embarrassing, a little indulgent, a little too sincere is actually the coolest thing he could’ve done.
And just when the album settles into you, like a late-night conversation you don’t want to end he’s already taking it on the road. The Whatever’s Clever! tour kicks off in late April, stretching across North America and Europe in what feels less like a victory lap and more like an invitation. Nearly 50 shows, big rooms, soft lighting, all of it designed to let these songs breathe in real time. Grab your tickets here.
Whatever’s Clever! World Tour Dates
North America
4/22 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena #*
4/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre #*
4/25 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl #*
4/28 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center #*
4/29 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum #*
5/1 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium #*
5/3 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater @ Lumen Field #*
5/5 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre #*
5/7 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum #*
5/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center #*
5/10 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre #*
5/13 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre #*
5/15 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre #*
5/16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory #*
5/19 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre #*
5/20 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum #*
5/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall At Fenway #*
5/23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena #*
5/26 – Fairfax, VA – EagleBank Arena #*
5/29 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden #*
5/30 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live At Etess Arena ^*
6/1 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center ^*
6/3 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater At Chastain Park ^*
6/5 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live ^*
6/6 – Orlando, FL – Addition Financial Arena ^*
6/9 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater ^*
6/11 – Austin, TX – Moody Center #*
6/12 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory ^*
6/13 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall ^*
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