Charlie Puth has never sounded more like himself. His fourth studio album Whatever’s Clever!, out now via Atlantic Records, is a sun-soaked, unabashedly nostalgic project that arrives in a particularly full chapter of his life, new fatherhood, a Super Bowl performance, and what feels like a long-overdue exhale.
Co-produced with BloodPop and featuring an all-star lineup including Coco Jones, Ravyn Lenae, Kenny G, Michael McDonald, and Kenny Loggins, the 12-track album leans deep into the yacht rock and soft rock sounds of the late ’70s and early ’80s. “My goal was to make a little bit of a Yacht Rock 2026-sounding album and pay respect to all the artists who came before me,” Puth told Apple Music.
But underneath the warm production is something more honest, a reckoning with his younger self. “I’m not trying to be cool anymore,” he said. “I’m the passionate music teacher, and that’s who I’m finally leaning into.” Rolling Stone called it his best work yet. Whatever’s Clever! is the sound of an artist who stopped performing confidence and just started living it.
