Hello everyone, and welcome to my first review of 2020! Kicking off the new decade, we’ve got a bit of a weird one. We’ll be discussing the third studio album from YouTube electropop star, Poppy. Now you might be wondering why I would bother with reviewing this album, especially right after rebranding from “music reviews” to “rock reviews.” Well for one thing, Poppy an extremely interesting and refreshing artist whose musical output I’ve thoroughly enjoyed thus far. And beyond that? This is a metal album. No, really. So the question is, how could a metal album from a pop artist who excels in predominantly electronic instrumentals and bubblegum pop hooks possibly sound?
Holy crap, you have to hear this album. Until another artist comes along and proves me wrong, I am entirely convinced that this is the best possible combination of electropop and heavy metal imaginable. It’s hard to compare it to anything, for the simple reason that I’ve never heard anything quite like it. When we’re talking about girlpop vocals over metal instrumentals, the easiest comparison to make is Babymetal. But while Babymetal comes off as somewhat gimmicky (not that I don’t love them), Poppy is committed to making something completely unique and all her own with I Disagree. Everything about this album overflows with creativity and originality.
Musically, Poppy’s indulgence in the metal genre certainly dominates the sonic character of I Disagree, but her familiar electropop sound is still present, and blended with the metal characteristics quite tastefully. This album remains musically interesting, as the balance between electronic and metal characteristics varies from song to song. We get songs such as “Concrete” and “Bite Your Teeth” with pure nu-metal instrumentals, softer pop songs such as “Nothing I Need” and “Sick of the Sun” that offer a break in the heavy, chaotic sound of this album, while maintaining primarily guitar-driven instrumentals, and songs such as “BLOODMONEY” and “Fill the Crown,” which combine these two styles in a loud, chaotic way, which feels somewhat inspired by 90s industrial rock, and these songs seriously make me want to hear Poppy collaborate with Trent Reznor. Perhaps the most impressive thing about all this is that if you separated the pop melodies from the metal instrumentals, both of these elements would be extremely interesting and enjoyable on their own, drawing a sharp distinction between Poppy and more gimmick-driven pop metal acts. Poppy’s sense of melody is as irresistible as it has ever been, and her backing band (whoever they are) can REALLY play and write. The guitar and drum work on this album are nothing short of impeccable.
While the unique collection of sounds and styles that make up this album are primarily what make it so worthy of discussion, the lyrics are really solid as well. The running theme on this album seems to be Poppy’s experience trying to free herself from what the music industry wants to make her do and be. Being that Poppy rose to fame as a pop artist, I can’t imagine any of the executives she reports to being very keen on the idea of her making a metal album. “Sit / Stay” is the most obvious example of this theme, as it compares pop stardom to being forced to obey commands like a dog. Apart from this, we get compelling observations on our society in “I Disagree” and haunting apocalyptic imagery in “Don’t Go Outside. At no point does Poppy reinvent the wheel with her lyricism in the same way that she does musically, but the lyrics on I Disagree are consistently serviceable, and great at times.
When asked about the diverse collection of sounds that make up I Disagree, or any of Poppy’s releases, Poppy has described her music as “post-genre.” Initially, I found this assertion to be a little bit pretentious, but upon hearing I Disagree, I can honestly say that Poppy’s music is completely deserving of this title. While genre fusion has existed for as long as popular music has existed, I have never heard an artist so fearlessly blend whatever sounds they are feeling influenced by at the time. I Disagree lacks the safe, controlled feeling that comes with most genre crossover projects, and reimagines new ways to combine pop, electronica, heavy metal, and anything else that might sound interesting. Because why should art have rules? This refreshing approach to creating music is something that has been much needed in the pop world and the rock world alike.
Score: 10/10
Favorite Song(s): Concrete, Fill the Crown, BLOODMONEY, Don’t Go Outside, I Disagree
Least Favorite Song(s): Bite Your Teeth
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 