Kim Petras' 'Feed the Beast' stamps her status as the new club music star we need
After a delayed-then-shelved album (âProbleÌmatiqueâ), a Grammy Award (âUnholyâ) and a high-profile magazine cover ("Sports Illustrated Swimsuit"), Kim Petras has delivered the debut release fans have clamored for since hearing dance-pop earworms âI Donât Want it Allâ and âHeart to Breakâ more than five years ago.
âFeed the Beastâ arrives Friday after a handful of mix tapes and EPs introduced the German-bred Petras, 30, to club playlists with an intoxicating mesh of techno-disco-goth-house music.
Previous singles âBrrr,â âCoconutsâ and âUnholyâ(also on co-starâs Sam Smithâs âGloriaâ album) appear among the 15 tracks, which have been crafted by an assembly of international songwriters and producers including Canadaâs Cirkut and Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine, Swedenâs Max Martin and ILYA and familiar American names Dr. Luke (a frequent collaborator) and Banks (who co-wrote and guests on âBaitâ).
Petras, openly transgender since her teens, will embark on a world tour starting in Texas in September to support âFeed the Beast.â
Here are five highlights from the brisk album (only three songs exceed three minutes).
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âAloneâ featuring Nicki Minaj
The prominent sample of Alice Deejayâs 1999 Euro-thumper âBetter Off Aloneâ would have been noteworthy enough. But toss in a fierce rap from Minaj, who reminds us that she âsets trends from Queens to Beijing,â and a fluctuating cadence and itâs impossible not to be intrigued.
âKing of Heartsâ
From the sprint of synths paired with a killer opening line â âI met you one night on the corner of a bad decision/When my eyes locked with yours it felt just like a fast collisionâ â the song is an ambush of energy. A staccato chorus makes clear that Petras is no fool (âOne day youâre gonna wake up and youâve got no oneâ) as she romps with her head held high.
âUh Ohâ
Though it starts as a pedestrian dance track, the song quickly evolves into a rave up, insistent and urging as the melody slithers. Itâs destined to commandeer the clubs this summer.
âHit it From the Backâ
One of three tracks from the scrapped ProbleÌmatiqueâ (joining âRevelationsâ and âSex Talkâ), âHit itâ doesnât get bogged down in euphemisms as Petras frankly declares what she wants âin the back of the car, under the stars.â Co-written with Ester Dean (Katy Perryâs âFirework,â Kelly Clarksonâs âMr. Know It Allâ), the song isnât a lyrical marvel, but there is something mesmerizing about its clip-clop beat and Petrasâ sultry vocals.
âMinuteâ
On the brink of a breakup, Petras grapples with letting go, simultaneously glad that a paramour missed a train on purpose, knowing that she should âshut the door and lock it,â but also begging for a final kiss ââcause our time is running out.â The knocking pulse of the song and airy background vocals belie its melancholy.
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