Machine Gun Kelly released his sixth album, Mainstream Sellout, on Friday, 25th March. It’s the second album of MGK’s pop punk era and second made in coordination with drummer/producer Travis Barker (Blink 182).
Kelly and his band appeared on The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, 30th March. Stern asked them to prepare a cover ahead of the live-in-studio performance. They responded with a version of ‘Aerials’ from System of a Down’s second album Toxicity (2002).
“[System of a Down is] a great band, right?” said Stern. “Great band, yeah,” said Kelly. “We toured with them for a summer. Doing these festivals in Europe, they blew our mind every night.”
It was the first time Machine Gun Kelly had attempted a cover of ‘Aerials’. “I’m here to just jam it and see what happens,” he said. “Serj [Tankian]’s voice is so untouchable. I’m just kind of here to just jam and have some fun.” Kelly performed ‘Aerials’ while remaining seated and toking on what was either a cigarette or a joint. Watch it below.
Mainstream Sellout includes guest appearances from Bring Me the Horizon, Pete Davidson, Blackbear, Willow, Iann Dior, Gunna, Young Thug, and Lil Wayne. In January, Machine Gun Kelly tweeted that he’d be releasing two new albums in 2022.
