Thoughts On: Poppy – I Disagree

hmu Poppy

Less popular, more specialized genres such as country and metal sometimes become styles that hip hop and pop artists embrace, effectively turning an entire genre of music into a gimmick for a song or two. This is what I felt like Poppy was doing on the song “Scary Mask” from her 2019 EP Choke, a pop/metal track that didn’t feel genuine, especially because that EP isn’t a metal album. Now, Poppy has completely embraced the metal aesthetic (as evident from the cover art, which incorporates the face paint of black metal and the spikes/chains of heavy and thrash) and released a full on metal album. Will this album be a surprise banger or a complete mockery of my favorite genre of music?

The opening song titled “Concrete” continues the trend I just described. Down tuned distorted guitars and bubblegumy pop choruses is something I thought Babymetal had a patent on, but Poppy doesn’t seem to care. Couple that with lyrics that talk about eating ice cream and being watched by demons while sleeping in the same verse, and you’ve got a gimmicky song. And look, that’s not to say this or “Scary Mask” are bad songs, but they’re cheesy and a bit predictable. You probably think you know where this review is going, just as I did this album after hearing the opening track, but suddenly something shifts, and what you thought was going to happen didn’t happen, because it turns out that from the second track on, this album has some kick ass experimental and inventive metal, complete with a plethora of instrumentals and interesting, quotable, and at times heartfelt lyrics.

This album shifts into something more grounded, more real, without sacrificing the eccentricity. Take the track “Fill the Crown”, a track which utilizes bombastic guitar riffs, beautiful vocal harmonizations with a lead synth, and a chorus that sounds like your brain is having an aneurism. It’s bonkers, but the juxtaposition between that insane chorus and lyrical passages like “You can be anyone you want to be / You can be free” is a vibe. But not all of these songs exhibit antithetical qualities, such as “BLOODMONEY”, a song about personal integrity and religious morality that is a dark, confident interrogation with some devastating guitar worked remixed on a computer. There’s ballads as well such as “Nothing I Need” and “Sick of the Sun”, which are good in their own right. With such a variety of influences and sounds, the metal label does start to fade a bit, and I wouldn’t be opposed to even more metal influences, such as double bass kick drums and some screams. “Bite Your Teeth” is the most straight up metal song on the album, and it’s great! Every song on the album is good at worst and they all flow pretty well together except for the ending two, as the final track “Don’t Go Outside” is so thematically and sonically similar to it’s predecessor “Sick of the Sun” that I wonder if the two could’ve been combined and edited down into one track somehow. Still though, it’s a solid finish, and the recalling of lyrics from previous songs at the end of the track aid in its finality.

I can’t talk about this album without talking about Poppy herself, which I’d first heard of back in the first half of the last decade when she became a Youtube sensation for her off kilter videos. I don’t claim to be any expert on Poppy or her history, but what’s extremely clear to me is that “Poppy” is a character that Moriah Pereira (her real name) is playing, a character that was cultivated with the help of a guy named Titanic Sinclair. Apparently, Poppy split with Titanic due to some form of abuse and then released this album. This is relevant because this seems to be a major thematic theme, and without the apparent control of Titanic, Poppy seems to be writing from a place that’s less from Poppy and more from Moriah. Depression, isolation, abuse, and anxiety are explored here to a degree beyond the character of Poppy, and while Poppy may still present herself as this fairytale alien during interviews, the writing on this album suggests otherwise. Not only can Poppy write, she has impressive vocal ability. Her performance in the softer sections of “Sit / Stay” is gorgeous, as are all the light, ethereal sections on this album. She’s versatile though, a requirement given the song structures, and she handles the heavier aspects well. Her delivery shifts between the high pitched happy voice of Poppy to some notes of her genuine self, of which are incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Here are some of my favorite lines across the album:

“I disagree with the way you continue to pressure me / I disagree with the way you are failing to pleasure me”

“Let it all burn down / Burn it to the ground / We’ll be safe and sound / When it all burns down

“Keep telling yourself that you’ve been playing nice then go beg forgiveness from Jesus the Christ”

“Bite your own teeth / Don’t cry, keep on trying”

“Everything will be okay”

I Disagree is an album I was not anticipating being into and it goes to show the importance of not judging something before experiencing it for yourself. Poppy and her new team have made a great alternative metal record, filled with a creative variety of instrumentals and fronted by a stunning persona and vocalist. I sincerely hope Poppy continues down this creative path, striving for music that is even more vulnerable. Something amazing could really happen.

She’s also kinda cute.