Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Mayday Parade, All-Time Low, Flyleaf, Pierce the Veil. Those are just some of the Pop-punk bands I was constantly listening to ten years ago.
On September 25th, rapper Machine Gun Kelly officially went from rap to a highly nostalgic Pop-punk sound, with his new album, Tickets to my Downfall. In it’s prime in the early 2000’s, the pop-punk scene consisted of artists like Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Good Charlotte, Paramore, All-Time Low, The All-American Rejects. You get it. Every time you turned on the radio during that decade, you heard at least one of their songs.
Throughout the 2010’s decade though, there wasn’t that much attention surrounding pop-punk. In fact, the mainstream attention towards the genre seemed to have declined. Sure, you already had most of the artists I listed who were still making music. New bands were still popping up, like the talented Waterparks, 5 Seconds of Summer, Knuckle Puck, and Neck Deep. But the mainstream eye on pop-punk had died down.
And then Machine Gun Kelly comes in and brings it back… Saving 2020.
Back in May, MGK released the first single off Tickets to my Downfall, titled Bloody Valentine. Upon first listening to the song, I immediately reverted back to my middle school/high school days listening to pop-punk and that nostalgic feeling completely took over.
Over the next few months, the releases of Concert for Aliens and My Ex’s Best Friend only increased my excitement for this album. These new tracks added to that strong nostalgic feeling, and Travis Barker on the drums for the full album, actually, only heightened it.
Finally, the album was released on September 25th! While waiting for this release, I was already preparing myself for a full trip down memory lane and boy, was it a crazy 36 minutes or what?
When listening to the album, I felt like I was taken back in time, a time where my iPod nano was loaded with pop-punk. As directed by MGK himself, listen to the album from start to finish. As I listened, each track got better and better. I enjoyed the hell out of his duet with Halsey on the fifth track, forget me too. Then, I found myself crying after listening to the album’s last track, play this when I’m gone.
Overall, I think this genre really fits Machine Gun Kelly’s style and voice. I am really looking forward to hearing more of him within this genre. I personally think he can bring pop-punk back to mainstream popularity and open doors for all new pop-punk bands.
Thank you, Machine Gun Kelly, for bringing the spotlight back onto a fantastic genre.
My Favorite Tracks (in no particular order):
forget me too (featuring Halsey)
kiss kiss
lonely
concert for aliens
If you love Tickets To My Downfall just as much as us, you won’t want to miss Machine Gun Kelly’s livestream at the legendary Roxy on October 1st. Travis Barker will join him on stage to perform the album in its entirety. This will be the first time many of these songs will be performed on a concert stage. Then, on Thursday, October 8 MGK will perform HOTEL DIABLO, his 2019 album. You don’t want to miss these shows, as they will not be available after they air.
