Turn Off the Light (mixtape)
| Turn Off the Light | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Mixtape by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:58 | |||
| Language |
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| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Kim Petras chronology | ||||
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Turn Off the Light is the second mixtape by German singer Kim Petras.[4][5] It was released on 1 October 2019 and originally through her own label, BunHead. The album was originally supposed to be released in two volumes, Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 – although it was ultimately released as a full-length album comprising the eight songs from the first volume and nine new songs recorded for the second volume.[6]
Turn Off the Light was met with near-universal critical acclaim upon release. Critics praised the production, especially the dark and club-infused sound with elements like blood-curdling beats and demonic synths. Multiple tracks were highlighted by reviewers for their catchy melodies and spooky vibes. The album was seen as both danceable and thematically fitting for Halloween with its horror influences like haunted choirs and creepy sound effects. Petras' vocal performances were also praised by the majority of critics.
Background
[edit]After the release of Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1, Petras initially announced Turn Off the Light, Vol. 2,[6] and even as late as early September 2019, said the follow-up EP would be arriving on 1 October.[5] Instead, on 29 September, Petras announced that she was giving fans "the whole damn story", posting a pre-order link and track list for the project.[4][7]
On October 23, 2020, Petras announced that she would be releasing a third and final Turn Off the Light volume in October 2021, however nothing ended up being released then. She shared that the reason for the release date was her desire to perform the songs live for her fans upon release, something she couldn't do if it was released in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "I can't do it if I can't perform it live for you guys, immediately. I have to. It needs to be fresh, and there's a bunch of stuff I want to do to make it really epic." Petras released the single "Party Till I Die" immediately following the announcement of the third installment.[8]
Composition
[edit]Songs
[edit]The second half of the album, which was released as Vol. 1 exactly one year prior, opens with "Omen", inspired by the Halloween soundtrack, and contains "ominous production" and "heavenly vocals" by Petras before transitioning into "Close Your Eyes", called a "zombie-fied banger" with a "racing beat" by Idolator. "TRANSylvania" does not feature much of Petras' vocals, but includes a "throbbing bass and haunting sound effects". The title track "Turn Off the Light" drew inspiration from Britney Spears' album Blackout and features lyrics about "dangerous love" and a guest appearance from Elvira, who states: "Embrace your fear, don't dare to run. Only then will you be what you're meant to become." The "dark, dance-pop banger" was described as "LGBTQ+ excellence" by MTV News. "Tell Me It's a Nightmare" also concerns the theme of dangerous love, while "I Don't Wanna Die..." is a "synth-driven" song that, according to Idolator, could be heard at clubs. "In the Next Life" is a "dark pop" track and an "electro-kissed banger", while closing track "Boo! Bitch!" was considered to contain the same elements as "I Don't Wanna Die..."
Critical reception
[edit]Turn Off the Light received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production, lyricism, themes and Petras' vocal performance. Writing for Billboard, Stephen Daw wrote that the album "maintains the club-infused production of the album's first volume", and pointed out that the tracks "There Will Be Blood", "Wrong Turn" and "Death by Sex" sounded "like Daft Punk deep cuts imbued with demonic synths and blood-curling beats".[9] MTV News' Trey Alston noted songs such as "There Will Be Blood", calling the track "an electrifying slice of Petras singing about your demise", alongside "Bloody Valentine", describing the track as an "awesome midnight funk that could get even Frankenstein onto the dance floor", together with "Omen", a "cheery and sinister" song that "sounds like the excitement that vampires get as they stare at exposed necks in the middle of the club".[10]
Writing for Paper magazine, Michael Love Michael praised "Wrong Turn", writing that the "music is appropriately adventurous: a dark, bouncy synthline and Petras' quivering vocal performance keeps momentum going, like victims running from a masked killer".[11] In a separate article, Michael said that the newer sounds were "scarier" as they incorporated "familiar sonic tropes like thunder, dramatic organ, haunted children's choirs, mutated screams, and more unexpected sounds, like knives scraping against each other".[12] Idolator's Mike Nied gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that it was "tailor-made for fans of tightly produced pop bangers and all things fright-inducing".[13]
The song "Party Till I Die" was included on Billboard's list of the best LGBTQ songs of 2020.[14]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Purgatory" |
|
| 2:08 |
| 2. | "There Will Be Blood" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 3. | "Bloody Valentine" |
|
| 2:41 |
| 4. | "Wrong Turn" |
|
| 3:20 |
| 5. | "Demons" |
|
| 1:57 |
| 6. | "Massacre" |
|
| 3:26 |
| 7. | "Knives" |
|
| 2:20 |
| 8. | "Death by Sex" |
|
| 3:22 |
| 9. | "Omen" |
|
| 1:39 |
| 10. | "Close Your Eyes" |
|
| 3:55 |
| 11. | "Transylvania" |
|
| 2:59 |
| 12. | "Turn Off the Light" (featuring Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 13. | "Tell Me It's a Nightmare" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 14. | "I Don't Wanna Die..." |
|
| 2:06 |
| 15. | "In the Next Life" |
|
| 3:44 |
| 16. | "Boo! Bitch!" |
|
| 1:21 |
| 17. | "Everybody Dies" |
|
| 3:24 |
| Total length: | 48:58 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Party Till I Die" |
|
| 3:34 |
| Total length: | 52:32 | |||
- Notes
- "Demons" is stylised as "<demons>".
- "Massacre" contains an interpolation of "Shchedryk", a Ukrainian folk song, as arranged by Mykola Leontovych.
- "Omen" is stylised as "o m e n" on this album and as "O m E N" on Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1.
- "Transylvania" is stylised as "TRANSylvania".
- "I Don't Wanna Die..." is stylised in sentence case on some platforms and in all lowercase on others.
- "Party Till I Die" was released on October 23, 2020.
- With the release of "Party Till I Die" the styling of songs like "Omen" now reflect their stylization on Vol. 1 as opposed to the album stylization.
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2019–2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] | 14 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 42 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17] | 84 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 1 October 2019 | Original | Bunhead | |
| 23 October 2020 | Reissue | |||
| 30 October 2020 | Original |
References
[edit]- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Kim Petras Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ Berard, Oleva (October 1, 2019). "Kim Petras owns Halloween with 'TURN OFF THE LIGHT'". Substream Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Mick (17 October 2019). "Kim Petras: Turn Off the Light". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ a b @kimpetras (29 September 2019). "i have a surprise for u about turn of the light.... i know u were expecting vol 2 but I'm giving u the whole damn story. today's ur last chance to pre-save n add https://kimpetras.ffm.to/totl" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 September 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Daw, Stephen (4 September 2019). "Kim Petras Is Bringing You More Spooky Tunes With 'Turn Off the Light Vol. 2'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ a b Kenneally, Cerys (15 March 2019). "Kim Petras confirms Turn Off The Light, Vol. 2 EP for later this year". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ @kimpetras (29 September 2019). "https://twitter.com/kimpetras/status/1178462263948169221/photo/1" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 September 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Kim Petras announces third installment of TURN OFF THE LIGHT series, shares "Party till I Die"". The Fader. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- ^ Daw, Stephen (1 October 2019). "Kim Petras Rings in the Spooky Season With 'Turn Off the Light' Project: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ Alston, Trey (1 October 2019). "Kim Petras Wants To Electrify Your Halloween With 'Turn Off The Light'". MTV News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right". PAPER. 2019-10-04. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Michael, Michael Love (1 October 2019). "Kim Petras Invented Halloween". Paper. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ Nied, Mike (1 October 2019). "Review: Kim Petras Ushers In Spooky Season With 'Turn Off The Light'". Idolator. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ Billboard Staff (December 10, 2020). "The 25 Best LGBTQ Songs of 2020: Staff Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ "Kim Petras Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Kim Petras Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Kim Petras Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Kim Petras - Turn off the Light Limited 2xLP". Urbanoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
