'I Disagree (more)': Poppy's transition from YouTuber to singer reaches new heights with latest release
Poppy's third studio album, 'I Disagree' gets a revamp with its new version, 'I Disagree (more)', which includes all 10 tracks off the original album along with four new ones. And they are certainly welcome additions to an already near-flawless record.
Back in 2011, the internet was a very different place. Virality did not come through a tried-and-tested formula, and instead, relied heavily on a YouTuber's ability to create content that was humorous, shocking or a macabre combination of both. And into this space entered a then-budding musical artiste by the name of Moriah Rose Pereira, better known as That Poppy and later simply Poppy.
This, in and of itself, isn't particularly surprising, since YouTube's earlier years were filled with aspiring singers trying to make it big. But Poppy had something unique, a feature that set her apart from anyone else on the platform. She came packaged in an uncanny valley-like android form that delivered some of the most unsettling performance art to grace the internet in modern times. Her character, it appeared, was one that was unfamiliar with the world and her commentary on and satirization of internet culture and modern society turned out to be the perfect formula for internet fame. It wasn't violent or gory, and yet, hearing the character say "I'm Poppy" over and over again for 10 minutes in a video that went viral was somehow more skin-crawl inducing than most horror films of the day.
But Poppy's virality, unlike others of her time, was enduring. Her persona was intriguing enough that people continued to watch her series of odd videos, and by 2013, she was one of the most well-known YouTubers. So when her debut EP 'Bubblebath' dropped that year, it was no surprise that people were interested in hearing what she had to say, beyond the repetition of her own stage name.
And with her 2017 debut studio album, 'Poppy.Computer', it appeared Poppy had chosen to lean more into the cutesy image as opposed to her more unsettling side, delivering an electro-bubblegum-pop sound that revealed a heavy Japanese influence. But when her 2018 surreal comedy series dropped on YouTube, followed closely by her second studio album 'Am I a Girl?', Poppy's heavy nu-metal influence came through and suddenly, a modern rockstar was born. By 2019, Poppy had parted ways with her long-time director and collaborator Titanic Sinclair following allegations of abuse, and by 2020, she had broken out on her own with her third studio album, 'I Disagree'.
Kawaii metal has been around for decades, pioneered by young Japanese female metal artistes. The blend of the baby-voiced vocalists and heavy metal rock instrumentals was jarring, yet it worked so well that the genre kicked off and breathed fresh air into the rock genre. What is interesting about Poppy's take on the style, however, is her journey from surreal performance artist to bubblegum pop singer, to experimental electronic artiste and a full-fledged heavy metal rocker. If there's one contemporary artiste who has seemingly dipped their toes into every puddle, it's Poppy.
'I Disagree' featured an array of unsettling elements, from mildly violent to disturbingly macabre. It was the culmination of the Poppy persona that saw an android modeled after the 'kawaii' or 'cute' Japanese style, itself modeled after dolls, take on the increasingly genre-blended world of contemporary music. But while it sees Poppy absorbing elements from a variety of genres including electro- and bubblegum- pop, ambient, and avant-garde, is still is, at its core, a rock album. And from this album was birthed one of the most promising rock artistes of modern times.
'I Disagree (more)' includes the punk-leaning and scream-rock/thrash-metal laced 'If It Bleeds', 'Bleep Bloop' and 'Khaos x4', but closer 'Don't Ask' is easily the standout from the new tracks. The song is a gorgeous blend of everything that makes Poppy, well, Poppy. A soft, pop/hip-hop track, it allows the singer's voice to shine through more since it isn't layered behind a host of metal instrumentals, and gives Poppy the chance to demonstrate her versatility as an artiste and writer. Interestingly, Poppy herself has rarely placed her music within any specific category, stating that while she does listen to genres like metal, she doesn't necessarily define her own music as such.
Poppy's 'I Disagree' landed a spot on Spin's '30 Best Albums of 2020 so Far', and was described by NME as "her most accomplished record, full of daring theatre and snarling forward motion". AllMusic's Neil Z Yeung hailed "Poppy's rebirth as a pop-metal alchemist and unabashed rule-breaker." And several others called her everything from divisive to daring. And that's all accurate. Poppy is an entity that can be as confusing as she is inspiring, but instead of finding herself lost within that persona, Poppy has created a coherent, stunning record that embraces her identity entirely.