A surprise drop on streaming almost a month after her definitive debut record Detour, “Pop Sound” encapsulates all that Kim Petras does best: bulletproof choruses, bold lyricism, and baller popstar attitude. Unapologetically self-aware and hardly ever self-pitiful, it conveys such a smart sonic commentary on the borderline abused subject of fame from a true pop student turned provocateur.
The track was first released as part of Pretour – a teaser project for Detour where Kim posted new songs each week via socials due to Republic Records indefinitely shelving her music. “Pop Sound” sees her succumbing to the pop machine: “Make me a boy, make me a girl / Make me a weapon, your Smith & Wesson / Make me a killer, make me a classic / Factory girl, made out of plastic”, to eventually destroy it: “Pop that pop sound, baby”.
Produced by Kim’s frequent collaborators Frost Children and Nightfeelings, “Pop Sound” embraces the cultural and sonic ambivalences of the kind of alt pop that is too weird for the charts yet not weird enough for the arts, too loud for the masses and the money yet not loud enough for the thrills of the underground. A flawless pop song structure built on abrasive electronics, it quite effortlessly walks the line between cult classicness and pop sellout that has never been blurrier in the current music industry.
Follow Kim Petras: Instagram // Spotify // YouTube // X // Website
