After releasing “your name forever,” a heartfelt tribute to the late Luke “The Dingo” Trembath, mgk (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) returns with “cliché” — a sharp pivot into a much more pop-leaning sound with a rock undercurrent. The track trades the grit of his earlier pop-punk output for polished hooks over a driving beat, signaling a new sonic direction rooted more in melody than distortion. Don’t even get me STARTED on how deeply that chorus has already burrowed into my head.
Ahead of its official release, “cliché” made headlines when mgk was seen driving through Hollywood with the unreleased song playing loudly, a moment that was caught on video and circulated online. Addressing the apparent leak, he commented, “I’ve never had a song leak this way but kind [of] fw it,” — a laidback attitude that perfectly mirrors the carefree sound of the song.
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mgk also teased the track’s accompanying video on Instagram ahead of its release, hinting at what he called a “mysterious element.” That surprise turns out to be choreography—his first time incorporating dance into a visual narrative. The video features him performing highly stylized moves that draw from a wide range of visual cues: the swagger of early rock icons like Elvis, the polish of mainstream boy bands like One Direction, and the laidback rock aesthetic of Mick Jagger. Sounds like the perfect combo to me…
Watch the official music video for “cliché” below. Fair warning: you might just want to press play while you’re already on your feet because it’s almost impossible to not dance to.
Following the track’s release, mgk also shared a very genuine video of his reaction to being featured as the New Music Friday cover artist on Spotify, which he says is “for the first time in my career.” Congrats, COVER BOY! We’ll be dancing through the long weekend with “cliché.”
