Photo: Byron Spencer

Kim Petras entered the realm of pop candy-coated with a ‘00s aesthetic and a nostalgia-inducing sound evocative of when the best place to discover new music was MySpace. Yet, some two odd years since her impeccable debut, Petras stands as one of the genre’s greatest innovators, capable of bending the world around her into a fervor with a take on a generations-long tradition of crafting pop songs that feel larger than life. Nowhere is the notion of Petras as pop’s savior more realized than on her latest project, Clarity.

Teased with a series of singles that practically soundtracked both ours and Jonathan Van Ness’ PRIDE month, Clarity is certainly not lacking in pure unfiltered bops. The 12-track project is a striking illustration of Petras’ range. In “Do Me” she stands as the Madonna of our age, delivering an empowering sex-charged anthem with a chorus you’ll be shouting back to the heavens. Meanwhile, in “Icy,” we see the pop princess at her most modern and striking, launching into a stronger-now-that-my-heart-has-been-broken ballad that would make The Weeknd blush.

Photo: Alyssa Yung

“brb saving the music industry” were the simple yet grandiose words Petras tweeted out ahead of the release of Clarity’s lead single “Broken.” While Clarity, as far as we can tell, may not have the answer to how artists or songwriters can finally make money from streaming, it arrives as a truly sublime collection of pop songs sure to stand the test of time. Effortlessly euphoric and utterly bubblegum, all while delivering a bold new vision for the future of pop, Petras is the Pride pop princess we not only need but stan.

Listen to Clarity below: