Review Summary: Negative, but far from empty
There’s something cheeky about the way “New Way Out”, the lead single from Poppy’s sixth album, opens, with that cheerful, semi-monotone voice cheerfully announcing her name right before pummeling you with riffs plucked right from the golden age of mid-2010’s metalcore. It feels like almost a reassurance of sorts, a promise that, for as new as this direction may seem, it’s still the same Poppy underneath it all.
Or maybe it was more of an “I’m back” sort of announcement. After all, considering the strong track record of
Choke,
I Disagree,
EAT, and
Flux, her previous album
Zig felt like a serious step back from an ever-evolving, ever-improving artist. In that regard, “New Way Out” was a fucking statement, a marked step up that harkened back to
I Disagree while still forging its own identity (thanks, Jordan Fish!). The question that remained was quite simple: was this a one-off, or was Poppy truly back?
…oh, come on, you see my rating, you know exactly what my answer is.
If
I Disagree was Poppy’s unfocused, wholly eclectic first proper step into metal,
Negative Spaces is the full, long-awaited maturation of that album’s sound, less random and chaotic, but no less fierce and in-your-face. What was once a gimmick has now become a signature sound, and it’s glorious.
The album wastes no time in bringing the energy. The opening three tracks, “have you had enough?”, “the cost of giving up”, and second single “they’re all around us” are a relentless barrage of industrial metalcore riffs as Poppy swings between smooth clean vocals and feral screams that feel like a more refined version of what could be heard on
EAT and
Flux. Jordan Fish was the perfect choice for production, deftly balancing the angelic choruses with some seriously heavy breakdowns (“have you had enough?” feels more Architects than the actual Architects) and razor-sharp riffs. And this isn’t even getting into the album’s latter half, which delivers some of the heaviest moments of Poppy’s career. “the center’s falling out” is incredibly reminiscent of Poppy’s killer guest feature on Knocked Loose’s “Suffocate”, a short 2 minutes of unbelievable aggression. And, of course, there’s lead single “new way out”, which deftly channels
Survival Horror-era BMTH.
But recall that I described this album as the maturation of
I Disagree, which still had plenty of poppy (pun intended) moments throughout its tracklist, sometimes immediately and jarringly juxtaposed against the album’s heavier moments (Looking at you, “Concrete”). On
Negative Spaces, the transitions are far smoother, but no less enjoyable. “crystallized” is pure synthpop bliss, and “vital” builds off the synths to lead into a more rock-forward chorus. “surviving on defiance” and closer “halo” both serve as incredible moments of slower reflection, the former being more rock, and the latter diving back into the sparkling synths.
Although, for my money, it’s “push go” that stands among the rest as the album’s undisputed highlight, opening with pure industrial synth, only for the guitar to sneak its way into the background at the 30-second mark, before exploding into the chorus, and that’s not even mentioning the heavenly bridge. It’s the perfect encapsulation of the album, the merging of synths, cheery vocals, and some serious rock energy that manages to sound shockingly energetic.
What we have in front of us is not only Poppy’s most consistent album, but one of the most enjoyable metalcore records of 2024, which I don’t think I could’ve predicted. The one possible criticism I could give are the three interlude tracks, but those are quick enough to not overstay their welcome, and do a good job softening the transition from song to song, preserving the album’s ebb and flow perfectly. It’s tough to highlight any songs I’d skip here, which is a first for any full-length Poppy release. Consistent, energetic, and most of all, refined, this is the album for anyone missing the days of
I Disagree. Welcome back, Poppy, you were sorely missed.
