Detour by Kim Petras is a pick n’ mix selection of delicious ear candy and slightly stale, flavourless tracks. Throughout, it is brash and bratty. It leans into indie sleaze, PC music sounds, and early 2000s trap. Some moments feel like The Fame by Lady Gaga, for example, in “DTLA” when she is chanting “way up DTLA” over a swaggy “Teach Me How To Dougie”-type-beat.
There is a strong run of tracks from “Brutalist” through to “101.” “Brutalist” leans into the indie sleaze of the 2000s. It could easily be something off of Charli’s True Romance. Petras talks about returning to a place she once knew that has been ruined. Her voice is the last thing standing and sort of crumbles into distortion before a glass crashes, closing the song.
“Jeep” is honestly a banger. It’s a sentimental, nostalgic story of being in a beat-up jeep; a love story made up of reruns of this couple’s history. The guitar warps in and out, with some scratchy hyperpop textures slowly growing in the background. The spoken word part about driving around listening to Tekno scratches my brain in a beautiful way as those textured synths come back in. What I find unique about this song is that it is built on a constant rise, but the rise doesn’t drop into an overly intense party anthem; it stays understated, which really adds to the reflective, nostalgic feeling of the song.
“101” is kind of four songs in one, which is always a fun treat for the ears. I like the post-chorus when it sounds like her voice is being put through a grater, and I love the switch-up at the end when she chants “when I walk it in my outfit in the parking lot.” I can imagine giving myself whiplash to this verse at the club; the beat is so addictive.
Overall, this album is perfectly danceable with some really enjoyable production throughout. But I genuinely couldn’t help but compare each song to something I had already heard. I was not particularly struck during my first listen. It sounded like a Charli XCX record, minus the innovation. On my second listen, I definitely enjoyed and appreciated each song more than the first round, but I stand by my initial impression, which is that this album is slightly lacking in soul. Petras is definitely a pop star, and I am sure she would be fun to see live. I wouldn’t complain if her song came on at the pre while I was getting ready with the girls, but it’s not going to make an impact on the current landscape of pop music.
