A few tracks into 2023's
Feed the Beast,
Kim Petras sets the bar for herself, declaring on "uhoh" that "Everything I drop is a banger." While there's more than a modicum of ironic egotism at the center of
Petras' claim, she's pretty much on point as
Feed the Beast roars with banger-level intensity. Working with a cadre of production and songwriting associates including
Ryan OG,
Ilya,
Dr. Luke,
Blake Slatkin, and
Rami Yacoub, among others, the German singer delivers an album of steamy club anthems that are as hot for melody and hard dance grooves as they are for actual sex. It's a dualistic metaphor
Petras gives herself over to from the start, celebrating the carnal delights of dance music on the title track, singing "I've already decided how it's going down tonight/In the morning, in the evening/On the counter, on the floor/Keep you coming, keep you coming, keep you coming back for more." Helping
Petras keep the dance vibes flowing are several guests, including rapper
Nicki Minaj on the swaggering "Alone" and
BANKS, who jumps on board for the yearning "Bait." Also included as a bonus track is "Unholy,"
Petras' Grammy-winning duet with
Sam Smith that made her the first openly transgender artist to win the award. Elsewhere,
Petras invokes an all-consuming dance passion on the Euro-pop-infused "Claws," dives into the techno heartbreak of "King of Hearts," and draws upon the hypnotic '70s-style disco funk of
Chic on "Revelations." Also rife with a bubbly, '70s funk groove is "Coconuts," whose cheeky, double entendre lyrics not only celebrate
Petras' Queer identity, but speak to the playfully flirty, tongue-in-cheek atmosphere she achieves throughout
Feed the Beast. ~ Matt Collar