If 2020 had one good thing happen during it, it’s this: a blessing of an album from Machine Gun Kelly in the form of Tickets To My Downfall.
Tickets To My Downfall is a completely different world from 2019’s Hotel Diablo. While MGK previously established himself as a rapper, the new album is distinctly pop punk. The singer first began to hint at a genre switch up near the beginning of quarantine, when he began covering different rock and pop punk tracks from his home and uploading them to Youtube, notably collaborating with Yungblud and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.
MGK and Travis Barker have reportedly been friends for a decade. The two finally decided to collaborate on this project, with Barker producing and providing drums on the album. Other long time friends of MGK, like Halsey and blackbear, are also featured — along with two interludes made up of conversations between MGK and Pete Davidson, as well as Megan Fox, who dates the singer and was featured in the video for single “bloody valentine.”
Besides the aforementioned single with a killer music video, standout tracks include the anthemic “title track,” “WWIII” which, in just sixty seconds showcases what an incredible drummer Travis Barker is, and ending track “play this when i’m gone.” The last song was written in 2019 for his 12-year-old daughter, Cassie, and showcases exactly why Machine Gun Kelly can switch genres with ease — his lyrics are introspective, honest, and keep fans listening no matter what type of music he makes.
Whether MGK plans on staying in the world of nostalgic, converse-and-Warped-Tour-worthy pop punk remains to be seen, but one thing is certain; even if it’s a one-off, he put out a hell of an album.
