Kim Petras once said “There is no rulebook to life,” and with the release of the final three tracks of her latest project Clarity, she’s confirming there is no rulebook for pop either. The release of these tracks serves as the conclusion to the release of her debut full length project, Clarity. The breaking pop-star has continued to make unconventional choices in her career, and releasing a new single a week for two months was more than welcomed by fans. Though that trend has come to an end, we now have twelve new Kim Petras tracks to hold us over until Turn Off the Light, Vol. 2.
Kicking off the collection with the title track “Clarity,” Petras unpacks the personal journey she’s had in the past two years as she was simultaneously breaking into the music industry. She bounces back from painful experiences to reclaim her worth as a diamond with hard-won confidence. Rattling off easy rhymes of designer brands with a trap inspired melody, “Clarity” sets the tone of this new era as one of growth.
Through that reclaimed confidence, Petras unloads the heartache of a past relationship in “Icy.” The production heavy track showcases Petras’ distinct vocals as she lets us know she’s doing better than ever before. The second track Petras dropped, “Got My Number,” is a high energy pre-game playlist worthy track in which she leaks the real phone number of her friend and collaborator, Jesse Saint John.
The Kylie Minogue-inspired “Sweet Spot” is a sugary disco track that should be legally required to play on repeat at all times. From “Sweet Spot,” we fall into one of Petras’ most openly sexual track thus far (please hold for “Do Me”), “Personal Hell.” The devilish track is infectiously ear-catching and “Only your hands make me come… alive” is the greatest lyric in the whole collection (maybe in her discography).
At the halfway point of Clarity, we enter the darkest chapter of the project. “Broken,” the first single dropped from the collection, sees Petras narrate her experience of being cheated on. Followed up by a track that describes the aftermath, “All I Do Is Cry.” While the two songs are the heaviest in content lyrically, there’s an excellent balance of dark and light moments throughout the project.
“Do Me” boldly goes where Petras hasn’t gone before. Rather than burying the message in pop-friendly metaphors, Petras proudly states what she wants. Reminiscent of ’80s power ballads, “Do Me” is a track that you’ll want to scream along to every single time.
“Meet the Parents” is Petras’ beloved debut single “I Don’t Want It At All” flipped on its head while still holding onto the cheeky personality of the track. A slow burn track with an unforgettable chorus, “Another One” sees Petras describes the insecurity of wanting to trust the one that you’re with – even if they’re probably not the most deserving.
“Blow It All” is the richer older sister of another well-loved Kim Petras single, “Faded.” The track highlights Petras’ clear shift in inspiration from the bright bubble gum pop of Era 1 to the driving hip-hop and trap influences of Clarity.
The concluding track on Clarity is “Shinin’,” Petras’ first real empowerment anthem. Referencing back to the diamond metaphor of “Clarity,” Petras rises from the rubble to shine brighter than before. Spreading that light, “Shinin’” is an uplifting bookend that leaves you on a high note before you restart Clarity from the beginning.
Consistently proving that she is never going to box herself into one genre, Clarity introduces a more complicated yet still compulsively listenable side of Kim Petras. Clarity as a collection highlights the ups and downs of her journey and is whole-heartedly relatable while still holding onto the glamour that we love about the pop princess. With tracks that fall anywhere on the spectrum from heartbroken to ballin’, Petras dazzles across the board with shining confidence.
