Детали релиза : Poppy - Negative Spaces (2024) [FLAC (tracks)]

Album review

On Negative Spaces, Poppy continues to push the boundaries of heavy music and the limits that genre can impose on an artist. Giving listeners stylistic whiplash each time a new album drops, she pivoted from the transformative I Disagree to the nostalgic alternative organics which colored Flux, circling back with Zig before hurtling into metalcore with the assistance of former Bring Me The Horizon production whiz Jordan Fish for this sixth studio set. Spaces is heavy as hell -- Poppy's hit collaborations with Bad Omens and Knocked Loose should have been a hint at what was in the pipeline -- but still retains her distinct vocal attack. As opposed to the typical metalcore formula, where a clean and dirty vocalist are required, she just handles both by herself and it's a wonder to hear her belt out those gutturals while pushing her voice to angelic highs. Chugging riffs, machine-gun-drumming, and industrial-leaning noise color most of the set (especially the opening trio), but she's sure to sate fans of her earlier synth-pop work with gems such as the pulsing "crystallized," "vital," and "push go" (which almost seem like throwbacks, even if she was pumping out songs like this just a few years prior). The peak of chaos arrives on "the center's falling out," a thrilling dose of sonic mayhem that sounds like Poppy leveling a city with her voice alone. Her longest LP to date, it's also one of her most satisfying, engaging, and exciting. No matter which direction she chooses, Poppy has yet to disappoint.

© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo