You can blame VOWWS for my newfound love of all things Poppy. As stated in our 2020 preview (Which you can conveniently read now by clicking here), I didn’t get “I Disagree” when it was released. At all. The music was all over the place and the accompanying video, while visually engaging, did nothing for me. Then I found out that VOWWS, whom I adore, was supporting Poppy on her European tour. And on her North American tour. Then I heard “BLOODMONEY”. And I was hooked.
But I digress.
With I Disagree, you get both the weirdest Metal record AND the heaviest Pop album of 2020. The kicker being, it works as both. Poppy’s vocals are sweet one minute and turn sour the next to reflect what’s accompanying within each song which all traverse their own different, intricate sonic microcosm.
“Concrete” throws everything at the wall to see what sticks to start and, surprisingly, it does! K-Pop, Power Metal, Nu-Metal, and just some big ole Rawk in the vein of Queen with the guitar bravado here all work incredibly well in this delicate fabric that Poppy weaves on I Disagree. The title track alone was already one helluva earworm in 2019 and it looks to do the same in 2020 as this infectious little monster worms its’ way into your brain and compels you to like it much like that gross Ceti creature from Star Trek II (It was on last night, sorry!)
“BLOODMONEY” is another beast entirely with Industrial tendencies one moment while wholly embracing Synthpop ones the next. And later, the experimentation continues and listeners are treated to a sweeping ballad like “Nothing I Need” followed by the Techno/Metal amalgamation of “Sit/Stay” and the heavy shredder “Bite Your Teeth” which sounds like Slipknot attempting Metalcore.
Keeping listeners on the edge of their seats as usual, Poppy flips the script and closes the record with a double-sized dose of her signature brand of aural chaos in the form of the gargantuan six minute ballad “Don’t Go Outside” which kind of has a modern David Bowie feel (Blackstar especially) mixed with a modern Rawk anthem concluding with a delicious reprise of that vicious title track. In case you had forgotten it already.
I Disagree is available now through Sumerian Records and can be yours by clicking here or here. For the latest on Poppy, including upcoming live dates with VOWWS as support, follow the socials by clicking here or here.