Yesterday, pop prodigy Kim Petras surprised fans with her long-lost scrapped album, Problématique. What was the original debut concept, led by 2021’s Eurodance track “Future Starts Now,” was ultimately replaced by the anti-Valentine EP, Slut Pop. Fans speculated its hush-hush disappearance was due to her continuous collaboration with infamous producer Dr. Luke.
In April 2022, Petras took to social media to express record label issues. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen next. Please don’t be cruel. I’ve written 3 albums worth of songs. I’ve cried my eyes out for months. I try not to give up,” Petras wrote in a since-deleted Instagram story.
However, Petras’s Problématique tracks skeptically appeared in mint condition on SoundCloud in July 2022. During her interview at Outside Lands 2022, the pop singer addressed the situation, encouraging fans to “listen to that s***” because the songs are “never coming out.”
A year after the singer officially retired the album, Petras officially releases her original French pop-inspired debut effort under Amigos Records/Republic Records. Although fan-favorite tracks like “Your Time To Cry” and “Left My Body” remain unreleased, the pop star’s third studio album is perhaps her best work thus far.
Its release majorly came from her upcoming Feed The Beast tour, she told Associated Press. “When I was thinking of opening night, it popped into my head that I wanted to add some of the songs from ‘Problematique’ on the set list. My Feed the Beast Tour is about all these different sides of me — from my ‘Clarity’ project, to my ‘Slut Pop’ EP, and my ‘Turn Off the Light’ mixtape — so why not include ‘Problematique’ if people are already somewhat familiar with it?”
The Best of Problématique by Kim Petras
Photographed by Steven Klein, Petras poses nude on the album artwork, barely covered by the carefully bedazzled album title. It’s sparkly and cool with the cobalt blue eyeshadow, which makes you almost forget about her risqué exhibitionism, accessorized with only a black beret and matching elbow-length gloves.
The title track, “Problématique,” opens the album with a new take on the word “problematic”—an easily exhaustive word to describe Petras. Propelled by thumping guitars and shimmery synths, Petras adds something to the already-dominant disco pop space. Instead of adhering to the naysayers, the album doubles down on the sex-positive, money-crazy Petras diva persona.
The Paris Hilton collaboration “All She Wants” is the long-lost sister to Petras’s debut single “Don’t Want It At All.” Where the then-breakout singer prayed to a makeshift Hilton alter for success, she’s now buying Birkins with the socialite. It’s excessive, it’s glittery and bouncy, but, most importantly, that’s hot.
The record’s DNA is best represented within “Confession,” “Dirty Things,” and “Love Ya Leave Ya.” Where undiluted fun, sexual innuendo, and frivolous affairs are served up on a silver platter, this trio takes the cake. The smoky and sultry aesthetic of “Dirty Things” differs the most from Problématique, save for the guitar-driven groove, making it an easy favorite given its fresh palette.
Created in the depths of the COVID-19 lockdown, Petras breaks free from her solitude through the Europop party aesthetic. Although “Deeper” and “Something About U” may hit an emotional chord, they’re certainly danceable and equally shimmery.
Listen to Kim Petras’s new studio album, Problématique, below. Check out more Releases on Music Daily!
