“Everything I drop is a banger,” states Kim Petras on Uhoh, a glittery, disco-tinged strut situated midway through her debut album. While it’s not an untrue statement – early singles Heart to Break and Malibu, both the work of controversial producer Dr Luke, definitely bang – actual hits had been conspicuous by their absence. That all changed last year with Unholy, Petras’s Grammy-winning, global No 1 duet with Sam Smith.
Unholy appears on Feed the Beast as a bonus track, its mix of Sophie-esque experimentation and pop nous showing up some of the album’s lesser moments. It’s not that meticulously polished songs such as King of Hearts, Revelations or Alone are bad, more that they instantly remind you of the work of other pop stars, be it Ava Max, Lady Gaga or Charli XCX. Static where it should be elastic, brash instead of bold, the hyperpop-adjacent maelstrom often smothers Petras’s personality. When everything clicks, however, there are flashes of pure pop ecstasy, specifically Claws’s sugar rush chorus, and the featherlight Minute’s emotionally loaded desperation. Overall, though, Feed the Beast feels rushed and already a little stale.
