Sometimes things don’t go the way you expect them to. And Kim Petras serving up a dud of a debut album was not what most people expected to happen. Over the course of multiple EPs and mixtapes released over the past decade or so, the German pop artist has carved out a space as an LGBTQIA+ icon, fusing sex-positive lyrics with massive hooks and no little flair.
After releasing ‘Slut Pop’ last year, ‘Feed The Beast’ is her most vulnerable release yet, tackling heartbreak, hedonism, and love. But it does so with half the vigour, confidence and self-expression that her earlier work did. The majority of ‘Feed The Beast’ is forgettable and, at its worst, dire.
The self-titled opener is a red herring that charges out of the gate with Europop pizzazz and Basshunter-style beats. Equally, the Nicki Minaj collab Alone successfully samples Alice Deejay’s 1999 smash hit Better Off Alone, remodelling it into something you would be grateful to hear at the top Ibiza hangouts.
Unholy, her blockbuster duet with Sam Smith, is the closing saviour, slinking in with seductive sexual prowess that is impossible to ignore.
That said, a lot of these tracks are obvious filler. Sex Talk is a wobbly extension of the sound Petras was working with on ‘Slut Pop’, but a lot more polished and with slicker production. It’s soulless rather than vital. Hit It From The Back starts off on a promising note, but ends up bleeding meekly into the following Claws, with both songs nestled safely in Petras’s comfort zone. The less said about the atrocious Castle In The Sky the better.
Petras goes further off-kilter with Brrr. It is a peculiar addition to the album with Enter Shikari-style synths at the helm, likely leaving most listeners as bewildered as Petras sounds on the track. The lyrics are unimaginative, developing into a carbon copy of The Chainsmokers' smash hit Closer: “You should pull me up closer / Turn the heat up in your Rover / Why don’t you take it out on me? / If you think you’re so cold, brrr.”
Antithetically, Kim Petras is at the peak of her popularity right now but this much-anticipated next step has ended up falling a little flat. If you’re after a warmed over riff on Cascada, though, look no further.
Kim Petras Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue February 13 2024 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Thu February 15 2024 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Fri February 16 2024 - MANCHESTER O2 Victoria Warehouse
Mon February 19 2024 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
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