Recommended tracks: “Jaime,” “Cry Cry Cry,” “Girls,” “Serena”
Artists you may like: Girl in Red, The Beaches, FLETCHER
Brooklyn-born pop artist Mikaela Straus, formally known as King Princess, returns with a stunning, deeply emotional album with her third studio release, Girl Violence. Some may recognize this singer for her contribution to the hit Netflix TV show Arcane: League of Legends with the popular song “Fantastic.”
This album is a masterpiece containing 13 songs that reveal a part of Straus that has yet to be acknowledged by the world: a creative and nuanced physical “homecoming.” It’s raw, bold, and sensual all at the same time. The story taps into the darker side of humanity: the darkness residing within women and the pain one is capable of experiencing, yet also creating. About the album, Straus says,
“Girl Violence is very sneaky. It’s not physical, it’s deeply emotional, spiritual, and spooky. women are both amazing and sinister- including myself- and it’s my curiosity to understand all the love, loss, and changes that come out of my love for women. wHy are we so inclined to cause and receive chaos? if you’ve experienced even an iota of it, then you’ll have a story to tell. and these are mine.”
While branching out from the confining major label system that has identified much of King Princess’ story thus far, there’s an exhilarating buzz of excitement and rediscovery, of newness in this record that feels so refreshing and lively. The album follows not only the return-to-self journey, but also the end of a long relationship. With the first track, “Girl Violence” transports you into the midst of the anger respite, into the acknowledgement of the sinister nature through vocal reverb and the shredding-scream of the guitar.
“Jamie” is the record’s catalyst song, finished within four hours during an exploratory studio session with fellow songwriters Jacob “Jake” Portrait (credits include Lil Yachty, Alex G,) and Aire Atlantica (credited in SZA‘s “Low”). An immediate ear-worm, this sonically subversive track is embedded with the magic of Straus’ grit and lively timbre, along with a sense of questioning: “how could you do what you did to me and still sleep at night? Though I hate you, I still miss you.”
The next track “Origin” is a haunting lullaby. With the sounds of a siren seducing you, this “victory march” marks the emergence of a new self. It introduces a better self after the relationship has ended and serves to prove just how much one has grown. With peace finally achieved, it tells the story of one ready to break out from the mirror, though the pain tries to reel the victim back into its clutches.
“I Feel Pretty” has more of an upbeat vibe and explores the reconnection into one’s own body. The narrator is free from self-judgement and is no longer doubting herself — in other words, she’s feeling hot again. Followed by what might be considered the best revenge or crash-out song, “Cry, Cry, Cry” comes as a taunt to one’s ex. It exudes that feeling of “I’m better off without you, living my best life, and here’s a song to prove just how well I’m doing. Good luck.” The vibes of this song are unmatched and will no doubt be a standout track on tour.
The sixth track, “Get Your Heart Broken,” feels like a complete 180 in what seems like an invitation to take the leap and experience the opportunity that comes with being in a relationship, through all the good and bad. Meanwhile, “Girls” is a slow R&B track recognizing a repetition of painful lessons: do you let someone back into your heart after the pain caused, or do you move on? But how can you ignore what the heart’s trying to tell you? “Girls” seems to understand this struggle of “unfairness from such beauty” as the lyrics suggest: “To enter my head/ and I’m dying to let you back in / But that would be violence / that would be chaos / that would be fighting / Girls, bring me to my knees.”
Following this song comes “Covers,” an interesting take on the past haunting the present. In this track’s story, it seems as though through the death of an older version of oneself, the remains of what they used to be, are left with people they’ve outgrown: “I suppose that I’m only a ghost / and you never want to see me in your room (I’ll see you in your room) / and at the most you’ll hear scratching at your post / And you’ll wonder if it’s me who’s haunting you.” “Say What You Will” provides a cool-down in the middle of the album, disguised as more of an interlude than anything else, but still carrying a powerful effect.
Released three months before the album dropped, “RIP KP” serves as a defining statement, and it may be the sexiest and most sensual song of the album. A track filled with lust, it taps into the uninhibited edges of desire and reckless abandonment, blurring the line between vulgarity and being proper—if such a line even exists. The music video is nothing short of “unique and weird,” with Straus having this to say about the process with Vevo Footnotes:
“I drew a lot of inspiration from massive attack, zero 7, and no doubt. i love songs where you feel like you’re riding in a car that won’t stop…the video is the world this album lives in, a gilgameshian journey through the limbo between heaven and hell. a purgatory full of evil women.”
“Alone Again” showcases feelings of regret about getting involved with the dangerous disposition a woman proposes. Coiled up in the chains of a venomous serpent, listeners can experience the sensation of loneliness and defeat of understanding that “she” will never change her ways. Changing up the vibes yet again, the penultimate track “Slow Down and Shut Up” drives us through an indie rock groove about sexting in a tour bus bunk.
Softly melancholic and cathartic, “Serena” explores the empathy expressed to a person who’s hurt others. Maybe it’s because they themselves have been hurt and used before, that they feel that this is the only way to defend themselves in order to never feel those emotions again, but it’s a fact that this always comes with the price of one’s sanity, and their relationships:
“It’s about recognizing that we have an abundance of love in our life. i don’t think i will ever lose the ability to stop loving or creating big loves. you can have crazy fallouts or breakups, but you aren’t incapable of loving, if anything, i think it makes you more capable.”
To have the ability and the willingness to want to help said person heal from their own traumas takes a certain amount of inner reflection and acknowledgement, but this message is an amazing way to close out an album that otherwise contradicts this mindset.
To celebrate the release of the album, King Princess has partnered with a curated selection of tattoo shops owned by women and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Australia for a global flash sale event tomorrow, September 13th.
Tattoo shops:
- Vacation Forever- NYC
- Girlxfriend LA- Los Angeles, CA
- Crybaby Tattoo- Chicago, IL
- Lady Luck Tattoo- Portland, OR
- Sage & Serpent Tattoo- Nashville, TN
- Cloud 95- San Francisco, CA
- No Good Tattoo- Austin, TX
- Feral- Mexico City, Mexico
- Nowhereland Tattoo- Berlin, Germany
- Briar Rose Tattoo- London, England
- Crucible Tattoo- Melbourne, Australia
- Joya Tattoo- Sydney, Australia
- So Far So Good- Toronto, Canada
Each tattoo shop will create a flash sheet inspired by the album’s visual world, and every customer tattooed will be entered into a raffle to win prizes, including signed vinyls and prints, Girl Violence merch, and guest list spots for the upcoming King Princess tour starting in October. Proceeds will be donated to local charities supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Catch King Princess on her upcoming Girl Violence tour. Tickets are available now here.
Girl Violence Tour Dates:
October 3 – Austin City Limits – Austin, TX
October 10 – Austin City Limits – Austin, TX
October 25 – Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN
October 26 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
October 28 – The National – Richmond, VA
October 29 – Brooklyn Paramount – Brooklyn, NY
October 31 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
November 1 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
November 2 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
November 4 – HISTORY – Toronto, CAN
November 5 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
November 7 – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL
November 8 – Uptown Theater – Minneapolis, MN
November 10 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
November 11 – The Truman – Kansas City, MO
November 13 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
November 14 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT
November 16 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
November 17 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
November 19 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
November 21 – House of Blues – Anaheim, CA
November 22 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
December 3 – Vicar Street – Dublin, Ireland
December 5 – Queen Margaret Union – Glasgow, Scotland
December 6 – Beckett – Leeds, UK
December 7 – New Century Hall – Manchester, UK
December 9 – Brixton Electric – London, UK
December 13 – La Madeleine – Brussels, BE
December 14 – Le Trianon – Paris, FR
December 16 – Melkweg Max – Amsterdam, Netherlands
December 17 – Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin, Germany
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