Arts & Culture
‘Mainstream Sellout’ Will Not Be Sold Out
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The album is meant to serve as a homage to the pop punk scene of the 2000s, as well as being his own personal contribution to the genre some 20 years after its heyday.
Columns
GUEST ROOM | How Machine Gun Kelly Gave Away His Hope to Others
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Machine Gun Kelly’s newest project, Tickets To My Downfall, has had considerable success since dropping in September. The pop-punk inspired album debuted atop the Billboard Charts after selling 126,000 units in its first week. The collection of songs remains relevant and has championed a revival of the ubiquitous rock sound of the early 2000s.
Ironically, while clearly a sonic experiment, the project centers around the same conceptual premise Kelly has long asspoused : Life is hard and Kelly’s fame and fortune have only exacerbated his emotional troubles. This is hardly a novel concept in music, yet the particular combination of sound, lyrics and vocals set this album apart and promulgate a unique message we can all learn from. Tickets to My Downfall explores emotional angst, but to a celebratory and passionate tune.
Arts & Culture
TEST SPIN | Machine Gun Kelly — ‘Hotel Diablo’
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Kelly tackles complicated topics such as death, depression and drug addiction in a more intricate and sophisticated manner than I had previously heard him write.
Arts & Culture
TEST SPIN | Machine Gun Kelly – BINGE
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In the midst of a beef with the best-selling rapper of all time, Cleveland native Machine Gun Kelly figured now would be the opportune moment to release a nine-track EP, entitled BINGE. He should have taken some more time. The project, a jumbled mess of clunky lines and off-beat rapping, is riddled with excessive drug glorification and braggadocious verses that come off more cringey than cool. If Kelly wanted to take advantage of his momentary popularity, this was not the way to do it. Machine Gun Kelly cites Eminem as an influence for his music, and any big fan wants his idol to recognize him.