Kim Petras has been working on a first album for the last 15 years. In the meanwhile, the German singer-songwriter has established herself as a pop star to watch: Her “Era 1” tracks, which were released between 2017 and 2019, were a cool tribute to the bubbly 2000s bubblegum, and her two mixtapes with a Halloween theme were edgy, scary fun. Petras made history earlier this year when her Sam Smith duet, “Unholy,” became her the first trans artist to achieve a Number One hit.
But it hasn’t all been champagne and glitz on the road to Feed the Beast. Due to allegations of sexual assault and abuse that kept the producer involved in a protracted legal fight with Kesha, which was recently resolved out of court last week, her ongoing work with Dr. Luke has caused concern for many music lovers. Then, Problematique, Petras’ first debut album, was completely abandoned after joining with a big label in 2021, and ultimately leaked.
Petras has referred to her most recent release as her most “personal” work to date, abandoning the personas she assumed for her Turn Off the Lights Halloween efforts or even her Slut Pop EP from the previous year. However, this album makes it seem like we’ve moved even farther away from Petras’ artistic identity, losing the peculiar fascination and spark that made her earlier work seem so refreshing and out of the ordinary.
The majority of Petras’ new music seems to be primarily influenced by Europop and Nineties house. The album’s first song, “Alone,” copies Alice Deejay’s 1999 smash “Better Off Alone,” adding unneeded trap hi-hats to the mix and a shockingly low-energy Nicki Minaj guest verse. The majority of the album is made up of comparable subpar attempts to get radio and TikTok exposure, turning the often trend-setting Petras into a copy of many copies. Songs like “King of Hearts” and “Claws” have the same watered-down, indiscriminate sound as a barrage of expensive vodka sodas.
The good news is that “Coconuts,” which was released last year, is still a happy song. A steely Eighties guitar riff and a chorus on “Revelations” sound like a reference to her spooky-pop past. Although all of the songs are quite sexy, “Sex Talk” and “Hit It From the Back” are the hottest sex songs, and they deserve praise for their candour and sense of humour.
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