mgk
's transition from rapper with pop sensibilities to pop-punk revivalist that began in earnest on his 2020 album
Tickets to My Downfall
continues enthusiastically with sixth album
Mainstream Sellout
. Made once again with
blink-182
's
Travis Barker
acting as producer and drummer,
goes even further than the last record in reshaping
's sound as a 2020s approximation of the kind of melodic but anguished punk
Barker
and his peers were making in the start of the aughts. This is most apparent in songs made up of big, distorted guitars, simplistic but catchy hooks, and
's tight, snappy drumming.
Willow
duet "Emo Girl," the frantic and harmony-heavy "Born with Horns," and "Drug Dealer" (one of two tracks here featuring guest performances from
Lil Wayne
) all model themselves after the kind of 2000s pop-punk that was exciting enough to evoke a sense of rebellion and angst, but not too aggressive for radio airplay.
doesn't erase all traces of his commercial rap past, however, and tracks like the
blackbear
-featuring "Make Up Sex" and "Die in California" -- an album standout with contributions from
Gunna
and
Young Thug
-- incorporate either trappy drum programming, fluid rap flows, or other familiar elements of rap production. ~ Fred Thomas