How many blood-curdling howls does a pop star have to unleash before they make the transition to metal maven? In the case of Poppy, we may never know — she can still crank out a synthed-up treat when it pleases her — but we’re calling it anyways with the release of her new record Negative Spaces.
Poppy’s sixth album (and fourth major foray into heavy metal) digs her lacquered nails into a peaty heap of industrial and metal riffs, smearing the debris across 15 tracks. The LP preserves occasional pockets of twinkling pop, but largely refines Poppy’s wrath via screechers in the vein of “the center’s falling out” and “they’re all around us.” When the two sounds merge, blending into a racing earworm like “push go,” it’s pure Poppy perfection.
Negative Spaces is Poppy’s second major development of the month; last week she nabbed a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance” with her appearance on the Knocked Loose song “Suffocate.”
Tune in below.