The beginning of October is marked by many things: spooky Twitter names, seasonal Hershey's candy shapes (pumpkins, ghosts and bats!), and Kim Petras’ “Turn Off the Light” (2019). Its music was originally enjoyed in dark and crowded spaces with sweaty bodies. But revisiting the album just a year later finds us in vastly different circumstances; instead of hearing the pounding beat of songs like “<demons>” while dancing with someone dressed as a sexy doctor, we’re now enjoying the music alone in our bedrooms.
Petras originally released “Turn Off the Light” as a “Vol. 1” (2018) and a planned “Vol. 2,” the latter becoming a full-length compilation that, according to Petras, gives listeners “the whole damn story.” The result is a 17-track albumfull of sexy, bloody and gory hits that transports fans to the dancefloor. And those qualifiers hit at the very reasoning why “Turn Off the Light" is such a strong release: the album simultaneously captures both the scary and sexy elements of Halloween, two things that might seem a little strange together on any other day of the year. But on Halloween — or perhaps throughout the entire month of October — they work together in wicked ways.
That sweet spot combination is evident in songs like “Death by Sex,” a deep bass banger. The lyrics are pretty amazing (“I’ma put you to sleep, yeah/Make you my soul to keep, yeah/Ain’t no point tryna scream, yeah”) and serve as a reminder of how witty Petras’ writing is. “Close Your Eyes,” too, is strung together by great one-liners like “You know I got designer taste/And your design’s too good to waste.” Both songs crown Petras as a princess of the spooky-sexy narrative.
And “Turn Off the Light” plays with those ideas, connecting with our expectations and personal projections of what Halloween is about. Some of us might vibe with the scary movies and the blood and gore, while some of us feel more comfortable with sexy costumes from PartyCity and how Cady Heron talks about the holiday in “Mean Girls” (2004). The sexy and the scary have always been elements of Oct. 31, but “Turn Off the Light” takes it to a higher level.
Other songs — like the title track, which featuresElvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) — also play into that discussion. “Bloody Valentine” throbs with distorted vocals and “Wrong Turn” features gravelly singing from Petras about an enticing and fateful encounter. And club bops “i don’t wanna die...” and “Boo! Bitch!” are perfect breakdowns for dancing with strangers. It all creates the vibe and sense of a party playlist. There are powerful vocals and dance instrumentals that act almost like transitions, but Petras is in control of it all. It’s like she’s hosting a DJ set playing banger after banger.
But this year, since we won’t — or shouldn’t be — going to large parties or trick-or-treating, listening to “Turn Off the Light” can be very, very painful. Fans are being robbed of enjoying this album the way it was meant to be enjoyed, but that doesn’t mean we’ve lost all hope. Indeed, “Turn Off the Light” still slaps through headphones or a dorm room's wireless speaker. But as Petras’ fantastic vocals on “There Will Be Blood” and the gritty pounding of “TRANSylvania” shred through our eardrums, we are still clawing to get into a gathering of over ten people.
That’s the bittersweetness of listening to Petras — or any dance music — right now; nothing beats that in-person interaction of enjoying music live. It’s something 2020 has certainly reminded us of. But in the meantime, we can find ways to enjoy the spookiness and sexiness of “Turn Off the Light” (and Halloween in general). Maybe we dance with our cohort or in a Zoom party. Perhaps we post our costume pictures on Instagram for thirst likes (maybe some costumes will be innovative and include masks!). Possibly we text that cute boy from calculus class and invite him over to bake some cookies and watch a scary movie (after he’s tested negative, of course).
Point taken! There are ways to enjoy Halloween and “Turn Off the Light” this holiday season. Petras made the perfect soundtrack for the entire month’s festivities — that fun won’t stop given the current circumstances. In fact, we need these bops now more than ever.
