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Clarity (mixtape)

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Clarity
Mixtape by
Kim Petras
Released28 June 2019 (2019-06-28)
Genre
Length38:12
Label
Producer
Kim Petras chronology
Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1
(2018) 		Clarity
(2019) 		Turn Off the Light
(2019)
Singles from Clarity
  1. "Icy"
    Released: 27 June 2019

Clarity is the debut mixtape[6] and first full-length project by German singer Kim Petras, released on 28 June 2019.[7] Nine of its twelve tracks were released beforehand, beginning in April 2019.[8] It was produced by Made in China, Aaron Joseph, Brandon Hamlin, Jussifer, Oliver and Ben Billions. Petras stated that this project is her "personal journey over the last two years".

Clarity received critical acclaim from critics upon release, who praised its catchy pop sound, with some comparing it to artists like Robyn, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. To promote the album, Petras embarked on the Clarity Tour starting with North America and then Europe.

Background

[edit]

Petras has said the project is "about finding myself. It started with 'Broken' and will end with 'Clarity' because it reflects my personal journey over the last two years."[9] Nine of the songs were released in advance,[8] including the "breakup anthem" "Broken",[9] "downtempo" song "All I Do Is Cry", the "hookup anthem" "Do Me",[10] and the "bouncy banger" "Personal Hell".[9]

The first song that was released from Clarity was "Broken", on 25 April 2019 written by Petras herself and co-writer Anthony Medina. Petras later released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks. Petras confirmed on Twitter that the tenth song that was released from Clarity, "Icy", was the actual lead single.

Composition

[edit]

The album contains elements of synth-pop, bubblegum pop, hip hop, contemporary R&B, glam rock and emo pop.[2][3][4][5] Reviewers also noted a shift towards darker themes and hip-hop influences on the project, though most still emphasized the danceable aspect of some tracks from the album.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian[2]
The New York Times10/10[12]
NME[7]
Pitchfork7.2/10[13]
Variety7.5/10[14]

On Metacritic, the project received a score of 83 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Variety called the project "sturdy pop songcraft" and compared it favorably to Robyn's 1995 album Robyn Is Here, also making a comparison between Petras' career trajectory and that of Lorde.[4] Comparing the record to the early 2000s pop hits of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and praised its power-pop sound. It also wrote that Petras' "addictively crafted bubblegum pop" makes her "sound like a superstar from a parallel universe", and praised her musical experimentation.[2] Writing for Stereogum, Chris DeVille identified the main theme of the album as "looking for release through sex and materialism". DeVille noted that it marks a shift in Petras' content from "sparkling pop sound into a mistier, sadder, more hip-hop-adjacent territory" and praised it as "an impressive collection".[3] Tyler Mazaheri of Flaunt favored the album's nontraditional single-a-week promotion and praised the project for its "catchy choruses layered over danceable beats", adding that "the album is sure to pack all the bops [audiences will] be hearing in the club for the unforeseeable future."[15] In his review of the single "Icy", Michael Love Michael of Paper proclaimed "Kim Petras just might have released one of this year's most compelling pop collections."[16]

Year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2019
48
[17]
The New York Times Best Albums of 2019
4
[18]
Uproxx The 35 Best Pop Albums of 2019
17
[19]

Promotion

[edit]
See also: Clarity Tour
Petras performing in front of a crowd in a turquoise dress.
Petras performing next to Aaron Joseph during the Broken Tour in Berlin

Prior to the release of Clarity, Petras began embarking on her 24-stop promotional tour, The Broken Tour. Through May and June, Petras appeared on a number of magazine covers including ones for Galore, The Gay Times, Flaunt, Notion, and AtKode.[20][21][22][23][24]

Singles

[edit]

Petras released the first song from Clarity, "Broken", on 25 April 2019. Petras released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks in preparation for her debut concert tour Broken Tour. Petras later confirmed on Twitter that the tenth song to be released from the album, "Icy", was the actual lead single.[25]

Track listing

[edit]
Clarity track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Clarity"
2:02
2."Icy"
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
  • Oliver
3:09
3."Got My Number"
2:54
4."Sweet Spot"
  • Petras
  • Gottwald
  • Joseph
  • Thomas
  • Oliver
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
  • Oliver
3:14
5."Personal Hell"
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
  • Oliver
3:40
6."Broken"
3:48
7."All I Do Is Cry"
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
3:23
8."Do Me"
  • Petras
  • Gottwald
  • Joseph
  • Thomas
  • Oliver
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
  • Oliver
3:32
9."Meet the Parents"
  • Petras
  • Gottwald
  • Joseph
  • Jennings
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
2:12
10."Another One"
  • Petras
  • Gottwald
  • Joseph
  • Thomas
  • Love
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
3:45
11."Blow It All"
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
2:58
12."Shinin'"
  • Petras
  • Gottwald
  • Joseph
  • Thomas
  • Jennings
  • Made in China
  • Joseph
3:35
Total length:38:12

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Clarity
Chart (2019–2020) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 7
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] 28
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[28] 78

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bulmer, Eloise. "Kim Petras - Clarity". DIY. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Cliff, Aimee (28 June 2019). "Kim Petras: Clarity review – light as bubblegum and hard as nails". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c DeVille, Chris (27 June 2019). "The Simple Pleasures And Complicated Backstory Of Kim Petras". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Helligar, Jeremy (28 June 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  5. ^ a b White, Caitlin (6 December 2019). "The Best Pop Albums Of 2019". UPROXX. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  6. ^ Kim Petras [@kimpetras] (April 24, 2021). "[Clarity] was made as a mixtape 🙋‍♀️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ a b Levine, Nick (3 July 2019). "Kim Petras – 'Clarity' Review". NME. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b Kenneally, Cerys (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras announces new collection of tracks Clarity". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Nied, Mike (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras Announces 'Clarity,' Drops Latest Gem 'Personal Hell'". Idolator. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  10. ^ White, Caitlin (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras' Latest Single 'Personal Hell' Is An Icy Pop Anthem About Breaking Free". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Clarity by Kim Petras Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  12. ^ Caramanica, Jon (10 July 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  13. ^ Cox, Jamieson (3 July 2019). "Kim Petras: Clarity Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  14. ^ Helligar, Jeremy (28 June 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Kim Petras | "Clarity"". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  16. ^ "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right". Paper. 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  17. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2019: Staff Picks". Billboard. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  18. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon (2019-12-05). "Best Albums of 2019". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  19. ^ "The Best Pop Albums Of 2019". Uproxx. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Kim Petras Turns Up the Glam Factor for Galore Magazine". Fashion Gone Rogue. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  21. ^ "Kim Petras Is A Glam Goddess In New Spread For 'Notion'". idolator. 5 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Kim Petras Covers 'Gay Times' & Talks About Being A Transgender Artist". The Inquisitr. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Kim Petras | A Neon Rhinestone". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  24. ^ Perez, Ruben Jr. (10 May 2019). "Kim Petras On the May 2019 Cover of 'ATKODE' Magazine". Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  25. ^ @kimpetras (27 June 2019). "None of the songs were picked as the single" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 June 2019 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "Kim Petras Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  27. ^ "Kim Petras Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  28. ^ "Kim Petras: Chart History - Top Current Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
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