Whatever's Clever!
About this Album
Whatever's Clever! is the fourth studio album by Charlie Puth, released March 27, 2026, on Atlantic Records. Produced by Puth and BloodPop, the album marks a dramatic stylistic and thematic departure from his earlier work, trading heartbreak anthems for a warm, adult-oriented sound steeped in 1980s yacht rock, soft rock, and city pop.
Thematically, the record is shaped by the upheavals of Puth's personal life: his September 2024 marriage to childhood friend Brooke Sansone, the announcement of their first child (revealed in the "Changes" music video in October 2025), and the birth of their son Jude on March 13, 2026, just two weeks before the album dropped. Puth described it as "the music that plays in the background of being a dad."
The album features an eclectic roster of collaborators that critics dubbed the "Yacht Rock Avengers": Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Kenny G, Jeff Goldblum, Hikaru Utada, Ravyn Lenae, and Coco Jones. Rolling Stone awarded it 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it Puth's "best work yet" and declaring he had "finally found his sweet spot."
Songs
References
- Album Review: Charlie Puth, Whatever's Clever! – Rolling Stone — 3.5-star review calling it Puth's best work yet
- Charlie Puth – Whatever's Clever! Review – Paste Magazine — Review praising the album's thematic maturity and sonic refinement
- Whatever's Clever! – Wikipedia — Album overview including tracklist, collaborators, and production details
- Charlie Puth on Baring It All With His New Album – Variety — Interview about fatherhood and the personal context of the album