MGK Breaks Through The Angst In “Lost Americana”

Machine Gun Kelly, who doesn’t fail to facet all genres of music, mainly coming up within the hip hop genre in the early 2010s, and then transitioning to pop punk and alternative rock within the early part of 2020, comes again with a newly released package of guitar strokes, heartbreaks, towns to drive and reminiscent revival of Blink 182 vibrations. His new album “Lost Americana” details such descriptions, and it’s an album to tune into.

Opening up the spotlight with “Outlaw Overture”, a blazing synth blares to your headphones, with drums coming along and echoes of adlibs in the background and whistles, reminiscent of synth pop in the 80s, he opens up the album with aggressive admissions of missing drugs, lost friends, and making his friends and family proud. “All the pages are blank till my life goes to shit, I know I’ll do it on purpose just to write again”. Then sharing plans of wanting someone to “make him feel like I’m alive,” wanting to live such an experience of feeling like he can live again.

Throughout the tracks on the album, we get to the middle of the album,” Starman” where we get a revival of Semi Toned Life by Third Eye Blind, with seemingly 808s bringing a new life to the interpolation, “I want something else, to get me through this, semi toned kinda life”, wanting to not wait on someone to make

him feel complete, to feel independent, whilst still feeling that dependence of some sorts. “You’re my inner peace, so all I do is just think about you.”

In the finale of the album, the last track of “Orpheus” brings along pianos, seemingly in minor chords, bringing a soft end to the album, different from the previous songs. “Go to the underworld and fight for, cuz just life’s just death if I don’t find you”, wanting to find the person that he so seemingly doesn’t find within him anymore. “To get back to you,” he screams twice, through the chorus. A poignant yet sad ending to the album.

With this album, it is a lot of emotions you’ll share, but very common themes that make this an album that, for a fan of previous MGK work, or of pop punk overall, to tuning in to. But a different touch, something more personal within MGK’s work. Something you’ll leave going back to yourself.