mgk pairs fangs with emotions in his feverish single “vampire diaries,” a punchy, pop-punk track that’s as catchy as it’s confessional. Fueled by hooks, heartbreak, and museum mayhem, this emotionally charged observe is an anthem for night time owls and dreamers alike.
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Stream: “vampire diaries” – mgk
I discovered the fountain of youth, it seems it’s a curse…
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Machine Gun Kelly has at all times been one thing of a chameleon within the music world: Hip-hop, pop-punk, different rock, he’s dipped his toes in all of it.
However now, with the discharge of his new single “vampire diaries,” mgk isn’t simply genre-bending. He’s blood-letting. And if the sharp, gleaming fangs he’s been exhibiting off on Instagram are any indication, he’s not enjoying it secure this time round. He’s biting right into a daring new aesthetic, actually and musically, and actually? It tastes like successful.
I sleep towards the bed room wall
The solar comes out,
and I can’t do nothing in any respect
I swear the life I stay so boring
I don’t know why they
make it look so cool in tales
‘Trigger I can’t depart ’til it’s night time time,
and I can’t drink what I would like
Tried to seek out the silver lining,
but it surely’ll kill me if I contact
And simply walkin’ within the daylight
is one thing I’ve by no means carried out
‘Trigger I used to be born to fly,
however, child, I might die to run, so
The only, a follow-up to this summer time’s infectious anthem “cliché,” is every part followers love about mgk turned as much as eleven: punchy guitars, confessional lyrics, polished but punk vitality, and sufficient earworm hooks to maintain it spinning in your head all week. Produced by the ever-reliable Travis Barker, “vampire diaries” is an electrical, emotionally-charged observe that manages to really feel each rebellious and refined, like sneaking out after curfew, however with a glam-rock soundtrack.
mgk remains to be driving excessive on the wave of pop-punk that he helped revitalize with 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall.
However “vampire diaries” introduces a barely darker, moodier edge, a shift that feels symbolic of his evolution. There’s a rawness right here that goes past the flashy visuals and slick manufacturing. Sure, the guitars are loud and the drums crash like thunder, however beneath all of it, mgk is telling a narrative. And it’s a surprisingly susceptible one.
Take, take, take me out
There’s a lot I haven’t seen,
don’t let me rot inside this city
Take, take, take me out
I understand how it’s gonna finish,
but it surely’s too late to show round
“vampire diaries” walks a tightrope between metaphor and confession. mgk makes use of the picture of a vampire, hidden within the shadows, unable to point out his true face within the mild, to discover themes of isolation, fame, and self-restraint. “I used to be born to fly, however child, I might die to run…” he sings in one of many observe’s most hanging strains. It’s a delicate however highly effective perception into the emotional tug-of-war he’s been navigating within the public eye. Is he speaking about dependancy? Sobriety? The stress of at all times being “on”? Perhaps all the above.
However don’t get it twisted, this observe isn’t all angst and brooding. True to kind, mgk retains it catchy and energetic. The refrain explodes with melodic hooks which might be tailored for stay reveals and late-night drives. It’s the sort of track you possibly can scream alongside to with your mates whereas nonetheless feeling prefer it means one thing. A uncommon trick, and one he’s pulling off with extra ease than ever.
After which there’s the music video.
Directed by longtime collaborator Sam Cahill, the visible for “vampire diaries” is a full-on cinematic expertise. Set in New York’s American Museum of Pure Historical past, the video appears like Night time on the Museum on a chaotic sugar rush, if Ben Stiller had been changed with a tattooed rockstar in pink eyeliner. mgk prowls by way of dinosaur skeletons and historic reveals like a person possessed, tying his tie within the mirror one second and breaking into dance the subsequent. It’s cheeky, surreal, and completely self-aware, an ideal visible match for the track’s emotional stress.
I really feel the warmth on my pores and skin, however I don’t care if it hurts
(I don’t care if it hurts, I don’t care if it hurts) Ah, ah, yeah
I discovered the fountain of youth, it seems it’s a curse
(Seems it’s a curse, seems it’s a curse) Rattling, okay
I seen each cemetery, by no means been within the church, mm, uh-huh
I put a cross round my neck simply to seek out out if it burns
Take, take, take me out
There’s a lot I haven’t seen,
don’t let me rot inside this city
Take, take, take me out
I understand how it’s gonna finish,
but it surely’s too late to show round
And sure, we stated “dance.” That’s as a result of the choreography, dealt with by none aside from Sean Bankhead (whose résumé contains Usher and Tate McRae), provides a layer of polish and efficiency aptitude that’s genuinely sudden. Watching mgk transfer with such dedication, typically goofy, typically swish, is proof that he’s absolutely invested on this new chapter, fangs and all.
The web, after all, is buzzing. Followers are already dissecting the lyrics, delivery the museum aesthetic, and, sure, debating whether or not these fangs are everlasting (spoiler: they’re not, however let’s fake). However what’s plain is the best way “vampire diaries” appears like a press release. It’s mgk saying: I’m nonetheless evolving. Nonetheless unpredictable. And nonetheless not carried out shocking you.
It’s additionally setting the stage fantastically for his upcoming sixth studio album, misplaced americana, due out August 8th. If “cliché” was the spark, then “vampire diaries” is the fireplace catching. There’s a transparent narrative forming, one which appears to mix glitzy rockstar aptitude with actual private reckoning. mgk has by no means been afraid to be theatrical, however right here, it feels extra grounded in goal. He’s not simply enjoying dress-up. He’s remodeling.
And actually? It really works. With “vampire diaries,” mgk proves as soon as once more that he’s greater than able to switching lanes with out dropping his id.
The observe is tight, catchy, and brimming with the sort of angle that made followers fall in love with him within the first place. However it additionally hints at one thing deeper. A willingness to dig into his personal shadows. To bounce at midnight. To reveal his fangs, actually and metaphorically.
I let my fangs present, smile for the cameras
Reduce each my wings, so nobody can inform
Discover me at twilight turnin’ to ashes
If it’s my final breath, I’m joyful as hell
In a summer time crowded with catchy-but-forgettable singles, “vampire diaries” sinks in and stays. It’s enjoyable, it’s darkish, it’s catchy, and it’s bought coronary heart. Whether or not you’re in it for the anthemic hooks or the late-night existentialism, mgk is serving one thing for everybody. And if that is only a style of what misplaced americana has in retailer, August 8th can’t come quickly sufficient.
Fangs out. Rock on.
Take, take, take me out
There’s a lot I haven’t seen,
don’t let me rot inside this city
Take, take, take me out
I understand how it’s gonna finish,
but it surely’s too late to show round
‘Trigger I used to be born to fly,
however, child, I might die to run
‘Trigger I used to be born to fly,
however, child, I might die to run
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:: stream/buy “vampire diaries” right here ::
:: join with mgk right here ::
:: pre-order misplaced americana right here ::
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Stream: “vampire diaries” – mgk
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© Sam Cahill
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