Not quite dark pop, not quite techno, not quite any genre at all, Poppy's fifth studio album, 鈥淶ig," is rather a mix of several different styles and an example of how far she's come since her debut five years ago.
鈥淶ig鈥� strays far from Poppy's old bubblegum pop sound for those who remember her 2017 debut, 鈥淧oppy.Computer," which followed her earliest introductions to the cute-but-strange, pseudo-AI Poppy character 鈥� first discovered via surreal performance art YouTube videos in 2015. The bleach-blonde android is nowhere to be seen in 鈥淶ig,鈥� but that's not a surprise 鈥� she's been gone for some time now.
Poppy's style and sound started to shift with her second album, 2018's 鈥淎m I a Girl?鈥� which started to take a heavy metal turn, followed by the even darker 鈥淚 Disagree鈥� in 2020. She scaled it back for the more alternative 鈥淔lux,鈥� and now she's back with 鈥淶ig," the evolved combo of her past works.
Backed by synths and electric beats, the sugary-sweet vocals of the 28-year-old singer-songwriter, born Moriah Rose Pereira, are heard on 鈥淶ig" in several different forms, from heavy metal screaming to soulful serenading. She may still be figuring out her sound, but there's a confidence to 鈥淶ig鈥� that implies she knows exactly what she is doing.
Highlights of the album can be found in a bumping pop-ish anthem, and a zooming description of a free spirit on a motorcycle. (鈥淕irl on a motorbike/No one can confine her/Epitome of freedom/I'm following behind her," she sings.)
The duds lie in the songs with lackluster, repetitive lyrics like 鈥�1s + 0s," and, disappointingly, namesake 鈥淶ig,鈥� the chorus of which goes as follows:
鈥淲hen you zig I zag/When you zig I zag/I zig zag.鈥�
Huh?
It's especially dumbfounding when other tracks' lyrics are nothing but pure poetry. Take these lines from the lovely 鈥淟inger,鈥� for example: 鈥淚n the whites of your eyes/I can see my next life/Smell the lilies at night/Tell me what you will remember me by.鈥�
鈥淶ig鈥� is overall an interesting, experimental mix that demonstrates how Poppy has grown over the years. Since it blends so many different genres, this album just might have a song for everyone, so it's definitely worth a listen.
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AP music reviews:
Kiana Doyle, The Associated Press
