Kim Petras “Feed The Beast” Album Review

Feed The Beast

Kim Petras

• Genre: Pop
• Date: 23 Jun, 2023
• Content: cleaned
• Track(s): 15
• ℗ 2023 Amigo Records, LLC, under exclusive license to Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Blink, and You’ll miss it -Kim Petras has been working on her first album for 15 years. In the interim, the German singer-songwriter has established herself as a pop star to watch: Her “Era 1” tracks, which were released between 2017 and 2019, paid a remarkable homage to the bubbly 2000s bubblegum, and her two mixtapes with a Halloween theme were edgy, spooky fun. Petras made history earlier this year when her Sam Smith collaboration, “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 locked in a protracted legal battle with Kesha, which just recently settled out of court last week, her continued work with Dr. Luke has caused concern for many music fans. Then, “Problematique,” Petras’ initial debut album, was completely abandoned after joining a major label in 2021 and eventually 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 further away from Petras’ artistic identity, losing the peculiar fascination and spark that made her earlier work feel so refreshing and out of the ordinary.

Album Art

The Album art screams “erotica!” and features the bold -and naked- Kim Petras bound by chains as she uses her hair as disguise and covering. There isn’t much to say as it is hidden in plain sight. The image alone tells the listener that there’s a lot of “sexiness” to be heard on the 15-track listening journey.

Tracks And Features

Feed the Beast’s iconic Dr. Luke co-wrote half of its songs, which may be noteworthy if the album had a more distinct personality—fizzy and opulent like “Clarity” or dumb to the point of genius like “Slut Pop.” However, “Feed the Beast” doesn’t require such an issue: It is a torrent of pure mid that is unlistenable on its terms. Why doesn’t it have the same shine as “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat, “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry, “Animal” by Kesha, or any of the other fantastic songs he’s co-written with Petras over the previous several years?

Petra’s fans from day one will argue that “Feed the Beas,t” and the type of musician Petras seem difficult to reconcile. Even on the tracks she put out when still a teenager like the Timbaland-meets-nightcored-Beach-House oddity “Die For You,” she came out as hungry and bold, going all out in her promised attempt to become a pop star. She is brilliant and humorous both in interviews and online, and she certainly has a knack for the subtly ironic writing that Twitter stans love. However, there is such a thing as seeking widespread fame too much, to the point where all your edges are lost.

Stream