Slut Pop EP - Kim Petras: Review
Kim Petras
is a German born pop star who first emerged as a voice in the underground hyper pop scene in the late 2010's with collaborations alongside artists like SOPHIE and Charli XCX. Since then she has shifted her focus a bit towards the mainstream with a debut album that focused largely on more conventional electro pop and a series of singles with a more mainstream pop appeal. Early in 2022 she began her new era which saw her leaning heavily into sexuality and sexually charged themes.
Review By Lav:
Where do I even start with this one? It's obvious that I've enjoyed Kim's music before, I reviewed her debut album pretty positively, I called Malibu one of the best singles of 2019 and her song Future Starts Now was on my singles of the year list last year. Maybe there's some trans bias involved but I've been calling Kim one of the brightest voices in pop for years. It's also no secret that I'm a big fan of sexually charged music and am known to act like a whore in my personal life, sometimes. So it seems like this is a perfect storm of star and era to appeal directly to me but alongside all of that I'm a music critic. That means for me to enjoy this EP the music had to be good and thankfully save for a dip in the middle of the tracklist, it is.
Slut Pop gets off to a strong start with, well Slut Pop the title track and opener. It feels like a thesis statement for the album with immediate raw sexuality and slick club beats that make it easy for me to buy into. Speaking of easy to buy into, I took the lyrical dynamic of being able to both "whip your dick out" and "get your tits out" as a personal mantra. Seriously though this is a great opening song that sets up the project's sonic aesthetic and thematic ambitions, however on the nose they may both be. Treat Me Like A Slut follows this and I know how stupid this is going to sound but the hook on this song is basically the bimbofication of Daft Punk's Technologic. This song is also over in a hurry but along the way it features some of my favorite refrains on the record and while it is a bit all over the place thematically compared to the laser focus of other tracks here, I still really enjoy it.
The project takes a dip in the middle but picks it up on the back end with Throat Goat. If you've heard anything about the EP it's likely this song and there's a reason. I think when most artists aim to make a raunchy song they just throw on a club beat and try to write the most vulgar lyrics they can think of. On Throat Goat Kim Petras as an artist is fully embracing the idea of being a throat goat. From the gargling and exhales in the instrumental to her confident and unwavering vocal delivery the sound of this song is quintessentially throat goat. Not only do the lyrics perfectly embody this but the confidence she delivers them in is infectious, she really makes every listener feel like a throat goat. Without one hint of irony I think this song fucking rules.
They Wanna Fuck comes next and is a track about boys of various locations, and they all just wanna fuck. In my experience that is pretty accurate. Thankfully the song has another angle to it on the bridge when Kim reclaims the hornyness for herself. The boys aren't the only ones who want to fuck and it's a funny if slightly predictable revelation on a good song. Your Wish Is My Command is the closing track and thematically it reminds me a lot of Dorian Electra's Give Great Thanks. Both songs use the idea of being an extremely submissive bottom as a thematic device. This track is a little bit more my style than Dorian's because Kim not only flexes a willingness to bottom, but a proficiency for it. The track also has a pretty compelling breakdown on the end that really ends the EP in a standout way with shimmering synth leads and a moment to breathe after the assault of horny bars on the 6 songs that precede it.
So clearly most, if not all of these songs are speaking to me as a trans bottom who sometimes moonlights as a music critic. But it's in that latter role where the EP sometimes doesn't do quite as much for me. XXX will be the highlight for anybody who loves cringey sex lyrics that sound like they're written by someone who has never had sex before. I find it a bit harder to get behind some of these ham fisted generalizations compared to the other songs here. The hook is decent at least when it isn't being pitched down, but with a forgettable beat to back it all up I can't really call this track a highlight. Superpower Bitch is easily my least favorite song which is a shame because I actually like the beat quite a bit. I don't think there's a single lyric on this track that is only used once and even though the song is barely over 2 minutes, the repetition really drags on. The best part of the song is the bridge which is all about cum. I find it hilarious even though I don't think it's supposed to be.
This was a tricky review to write. How much do I let my status as basically the exact person this EP is made about get in the way of my perception of the music? How much do I publicly expose myself as a slut? And finally how many of the extremely vulgar lyrics and my variety of reactions to them do I include in the review? I have no idea how I did, that's for you to decide. If I embarrassed myself then I'm glad I did it for an EP as fun an sexually uncompromising as this one. This EP isn't perfect but I like it quite a bit and continue to be impressed by almost everything Kim Petras does. 7.5/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
This cover is stereotypical of a pop girl and gets the job done. It shows the personality, title and exudes the energy of the music. I'm not happy with the quality of the image and even though it's supposed to look like an old flash film picture and was probably taken that way on purpose, I don't think it translates well on anything larger than maybe a phone. Overall the logos, styling and color of the cover has everything you'd need in a project like this but it's not exciting or something I would have chosen . 6.5/10
For more sexually charged pop music check out my review of Slayyyter's Troubled Paradise here
