Poppy
Zig


2.5
average

Review

by Sowing STAFF
October 28th, 2023 | 81 replies


Release Date: 10/27/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: When you zig, I zag...I zigzag

When I first heard 'Church Outfit', I was very excited to see Poppy continuing down the path of dark, divergent pop. 2020's I Disagree and 2021's Flux were nothing novel in the grand scheme of things, but they nevertheless provided a breath of fresh air in a genre bogged down by far too many trend disciples and not nearly enough risk takers. Who doesn't want more pop artists who are willing to fuse their craft with metal and scream at the top of their lungs? Anyway, 'Church Outfit' seemed like a natural progression for the perpetually out of fucks artist, blurring her sound with a sinister industrial beat and more carefully selected screams. Unfortunately, things quickly derailed from there as Zig continued its roll out of pre-release singles, each one less impressive than the one that preceded it.

Still, there was hope that the wildly unpredictable Poppy would have a few tricks up her sleeve. After all, songs as eclectic as 'Church Outfit', the Ariana Grande-esque 'Knockoff', and the sheer bubblegum pop of 'Motorbike' suggested that Zig would, well, have a zag somewhere. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that there really isn't one to be found here. The majority of these songs toe the line between agreeable pop and anything that Poppy deems just edgy enough, and often it comes at the sacrifice of anything resembling quality lyrics. The songs generally don't end up memorable enough to overcome their songwriting and lyrical obstacles, either: the string-underscored 'What It Becomes' aims for a slow-burning suspense that is never truly realized, 'Linger' comes across as basically 'Sick of the Sun' minus any of the melody or hooks, and 'Prove It' provides nothing in the way closure by espousing even more forgettable melodies/aimless percussive bursts that feel more like jump scares than anything with purposeful direction.

Even when Zig carves out space in your brain, it's often in the worst way possible. The chorus of '1s + 0s' is low-key catchy, but it's marred by horrendous lyrics ("So many ones and zeroes...So many one, one, one, one, ones / Don't call me the onе, one, one, one, one") that when avoid repetition induce cringe instead ("Meet me in the only tense that is present"). The title track suffers a nearly identical fate, succumbing to the fatal flaw of a chorus that goes "when you zig, I zag, when you zig, I zag" ad nauseum. It's a tough pill to swallow considering that Poppy's musical ideas and actual songwriting aren't all bad here. 'Flicker' drops some pretty gnarly beats, 'The Attic' swells to a gorgeous and well-earned cresendo, 'Church Outfit' is a proper banger through-and-through, and even the aforementioned 'Zig' captivates through its verses and the sheer energy of its synth/guitars/percussion. Unfortunately, all these moments feel wasted on an album so lacking in purpose or identity. These songs float around on their individual three-minute islands, and precious few are worth visiting if it means wading through all of the vapid space in between. In a strange way captured by Zig's artwork, Poppy seems to be restrained here – as if something is holding her back from embracing her typically wild and unconventional whims. Next time, I hope she grabs that sword and cuts herself free of whatever led to this.



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user ratings (67)
2.8
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
October 28th 2023


62408 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

this is significantly more entertaining than Flux

gravityswitch
October 28th 2023


2133 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Album is average at best, absolutely despise the title song.

The Attic is the best song here even if it sounds like a Rebecca Black rip-off lol

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
October 28th 2023


32185 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Fair review, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Title track sucks. The Attic elevates (ha!) this.

Sowing
Moderator
October 28th 2023


44529 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I enjoy Poppy but this feels like a regression. It certainly has its fun moments regardless, so I'll grant you that!

neekafat
Staff Reviewer
October 28th 2023


26720 Comments

Album Rating: 2.9

I’m on bit of a Poppy kick since that kickass show but yeah this is a bit disappointing

Still fun!

Sowing
Moderator
October 28th 2023


44529 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I was torn between a 2.5 and a 3, but my prevailing feeling here is that I have no actual need to revisit any of this aside from Church Outfit (as opposed to the "fun but flawed" sensation that might earn a 3). I'd rather just keep jamming I Disagree on repeat (which ironically, I initially severely underrated at a 3 lol).

JesperL
Staff Reviewer
October 28th 2023


5665 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

yeah this is unfortunate :[

gravityswitch
October 28th 2023


2133 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

The Attic actually reminds me of Erase You with the dnb and sad melodies

Sowing
Moderator
October 29th 2023


44529 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

She deserves credit as usual for not confirming to expectations because even though a lot of us just want her to stay with the pop-metal she's so good at, she's never been a single lane kind of artist. I'm not sure what the next avenue should be for her, but I hope it's more memorable and lively. There's something about this that's just forgettable and suffocating at the same time.

PanosChris
October 29th 2023


30 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Great review, wouldn't have said it better myself. I was also excited to see Poppy go back to exploring a poppier -no pun intended- sound, albeit with a more industrial/metal edge to it, considering that's the path she has walked in for a few years. 'Church Outfit' and 'Knockoff' are incredible, but almost everything else after these two tracks is a mess. The melodies are forgettable, the writing is not as biting as before and it all feels aimless, incomplete sonic and lyrical ideas being thrown around for 2ish minutes before vanishing into the next. The album's short runtime does it a disservice, by having many underdeveloped or uninteresting tracks.



'Linger' and 'The Attic' are the only deep cuts that caught my attention, with a much more focused production, but they can't hold a candle to the first two opening songs. 'Flux' remains -to me- her best work yet, as its more organic rock approach genuinely fits her. But there's almost nothing she can't do in terms of genre, so here's hoping her next outing better realizes that dark pop path (or does something completely new maybe?).

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
October 29th 2023


32185 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Ok this is growing off pretty fast.

alamo
October 30th 2023


5778 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

nooooooooooo this cant be average the cover goes so hard.

artiswar
October 30th 2023


14757 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

only jammed this once but it felt more like a b-sides collection than an album. A couple good tracks (singles mostly) but this left me pretty cold. And I was on board with Poppy going back to the poppier side

neekafat
Staff Reviewer
October 30th 2023


26720 Comments

Album Rating: 2.9

girl on a motorbike goin where she wants to

girl on a motorbike never check the rearview

Sowing
Moderator
October 30th 2023


44529 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

@PanosChris: I love Church Outfit, but Knockoff is just okay to me. "the writing is not as biting as before and it all feels aimless, incomplete sonic and lyrical ideas being thrown around for 2ish minutes before vanishing into the next" -- couldn't have said this better myself, you hit the nail on the head. This whole thing just feels undercooked.



Agreed with everyone else in general. This grows off quick, and a lot of the songs feel like b-sides.

Mort.
October 30th 2023


26092 Comments


you say poppy

i say

poopy

Feather
October 30th 2023


10543 Comments


“LEGS” is actually comedic gold. Enjoying this album more on second listen. Gotta skip the title track and 1s and 0s though

AnimalForce1
Contributing Reviewer
October 30th 2023


1001 Comments


Haven't listened to the whole thing yet, and I probably never will. I tend to be more critical then my gf, but she spun this album and just straight up said it wasn't good, so... yeah.

It's a shame too because Church Outfit was sweet as hell, and between Flux, EAT, and I Disagree, Poppy was doing pretty well for herself in the metal biz.

artiswar
October 30th 2023


14757 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Yeah I've found her stuff pretty hit-or-miss but at least it's been an interesting ride with the pretty drastic shifts in direction. If she puts out one more record as good as Am I A Girl I'll be happy

Feather
October 30th 2023


10543 Comments


Am I a Girl is worse than this



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