She ate this

halo 

1 hour ago, perpetual novice said:

I respect that you might not like the album but I personally think the complete opposite is true. She randomly paired up with a bunch of A list producers for Zig and put out the most soulless record she's released, I think that album was born out of frustration that her rock leaning songs weren't doing too well anymore and she wanted to see how pop would do.

Likewise, I respect that you may not like Zig but this sentence shows you have no idea what you're talking about.

The only producer for Zig was Ali Payami with help from Ian Kirkpatrick on two songs and Poppy wrote all songs together with Simon Wilcox, a long time friend and collaborator of hers, taking inspiration from themes Poppy had written about in her journal.

I also disagree that Zig is soulless. It's the opposite - a passion project with an entire concept behind it. Literally reviving her old blonde persona, using the sword symbolism, rerecording the fan-favorite Knockoff from AIAG era in a new, dark style and finally bringing back color to her album visuals was the true return to form everyone seems to be talking about now, but apparently y'all aren't ready for that conversation - maybe in a couple of years. Not to mention the brilliant unreleased Zig tracks which are genuinely some of her boldest and most experimental efforts to date.  

 

Either way, 'push go' slaps!

I´ll need some more time with this, after how amazing Zig was, but I´m already enjoying my first listens 

 

Enough, Vital and Defiance >>>

19 hours ago, psychodiva336 said:

I could write entire paragraphs about this album, and I will (on my blog), but here all I'm gonna say is there is NO WAY she willingly recorded these songs, not after how much heart and soul you could tell she put in the Zig tracks.  The spark is just gone on most of the songs here...

 

That being said, the lyrics are quite beautiful. The highlights for me are 'surviving on defiance' (!!), 'push go', 'crystallized', 'have you had enough?' and maybe the title track because the lyrical content really resonated with me!

 

I'm just mad because I know I'll support and love Poppy no matter what, but goddamn it she really fumbled this album... I blame her label and Jordan Fish for giving her these BMTH demos  

Those + halo are my highlights, vital is sooo bmth sounding lol (tho it's not a bad thing, but rather that it sounds something bmth would release rather than Poppy)

some notes I wrote down while listening for the first time + thoughts now in hindshight

I didn't take lyrics much into account for most of these (I start to pay attention to them when I listen more in detail/replay a song than queuing a whole album) so this is mostly based off general sound and vibes.

 

Spoiler

- have you had enough?

Starts good, I liked the part around the 1 minute mark (I have to give it a second listen to write more but I remember I liked it)

2nd listen: Pretty good, this is a great mix of pop-rock and metal like new way out and songs on ID were, this is going to go high in my top.

- the cost of giving up

It sounds better now than when it was a single?? I guess it fell short when I compared it to crystallized but in this other context it's actually not bad at all

2nd listen: When it came out as a single I barely listened to it bc I was hooked on crystallized but now I appreciate it more, It's actually good but I think I like hyhe? more. This is probably going to end high-ish on my top as well. I really like the magical vibes of the bridge.

- they're all around us

Still too heavy for my taste, the chorus and melodic end are more palatable though

2nd listen: It just hit me the "coward" at the start might be a reference to the Spit cover but idk. "When your spirit is black and blue" part I like but the rest is too heavy for my liking, I understand many people are into heavy metal but it's just not my cup of tea personally :/ At least the song has those more palatable parts as contrast so it's still not a skip tbh. Maybe It'll grow on me, this 2nd listen (3rd overall bc I only heard it once as a single) I disliked it less than the previous ones so maybe taau is an acquired taste.

- yesterday

I just wrote 'yesterday was a cool transition', I was kinda feeling it'd be a full song but nope

2nd listen: I liked this and felt like it was going to build into a full song why isn't it a full song

- crystallized

Highlight of the album wbk (soty even??)
2nd listen: This album ver is better than that demo they used on the visualizer (the "it got me in a state of mind" at 1:13 sounds different on the visualizer if you listen closely + I've been told there are more subtle changes, idk why they'd use a demo for the visualizer lol). Moving on, this is my most listened single (probably? I also listened to nwo a lot so idk the exact numbers but it's high up there for sure) and I think if it isn't already it'll become my most listened overall of the album it's just such a good pop-rock track . Also I love the ambient ending, it's so poppy; if "poppycore" was a thing this song would be it.

- vital

The start made me think it'd be EDM (god complex caught giving a bombastic side eye) but nope this is very bmth-y but it's not bad, I'd listen again and again tbh. But it does feel more like a bmth song than a Poppy song, if I was told this was a bmth song that Poppy was covering I'd believe it.

2nd listen: It's a good track that I'd totally listen again any day, but I still go by what I said above it sounds more like BMTH than Poppy (but that's not a bad thing bc I also like many BMTH songs and I also like this one). I like the 2nd part (after the guitar part) more idk why, and the ending is cool

- push go

The start with the 'every boy and every girl' line reminded me of aiag, I don't remember the rest but I wrote that it was great so this is another one I'll listen again to write more here.

2nd listen: Another album highlight. It's like flux meets electronic music (flux meets zig? lol) I like it very much it's hyper but still bold and rocky. The breakdown part with the vocals "ahh ee ahh" is so heavensent . Scratch what I said abt crystallized this might be the best track on the album (crystallized i still ly)

- nothing

The very start reminded me of the start of Evanescence's 'Everybody's Fool' (spefically the "perfected by nature" line) (2nd listen: also the part at 1:27 maybe it's a similar chord or sth idk). I didn't write anything else and I don't remember so I'll have to give it a second listen to write more here.

2nd listen: One of the heavier tracks but in a  very palatable way (like new way out). Though I feel it gets overshadowed by push go personally. It's good but idk it's just there. I like the robotic voice-y part around 2:30 it's a breath of fresh air to the song.

- the center's falling out

I only wrote that it was heavy, but idr if I meant that in a good or bad way

2nd listen: I think I meant it in a bad way bc whoa this is just noise to me, it's just too heavy I'm sorry. I'm glad for the people who like heavy metal but for me this is a skip . The bridge around 1:17 is more listenable bc it isn't as loud and I like the instrumental breakdown after it. I guess it's kind of similar to taau in that the first half of the song is too loud for me but it gets better in the second half, the ending is cool.

- hey there

This is such a contrast after tcfo lol, not much to write here it's just an interlude that kinda gives off the music used in the old poppy videos but with singing over it.
2nd listen: Why does this kinda sound like elevator music at the start help , the part where she starts singing lowkey reminds me of don't go outside (and that's a good thing), the end transitions quite good into the next song.

- negative spaces

I liked the punk/flux vibe (it's similar to push go in that regard), another one I'd listen again after the general 2nd listen of the album.
2nd listen: One of my faves ngl, I really like the hype vibe it has, reminds me of 2000s rock music that was about making you stand up and jump to the song and have fun. It kind of starts to get "boring" but the bridge at 1:27 comes to save it and the instrumental break after it is peak. I would've liked even more if it was all more hyper like the start and instrumental break (like the 'Shapes' from Stagger).

- surviving on defiance

I liked it (that's all I wrote down oops, 2nd listen is pending)

2nd listen: This picks up the 'don't go outside' vibes I mentioned in hey there and develops there with some metal kick to make out a strong ballad. Also an album highlight tbh I loved the songs similar to this in Zig and her other projects . 2:00 hits harddd, that distorted ending brings back vibes to other Poppy songs :-)

- new way out

I listened to this a lot as a single so I like it, I didn't rly write anything.
2nd listen: dundundundun Poppy! ^-^* What can I say about NWO lol, it's just a bop.

- tomorrow

wtf is this lol it's giving roblox is my life

2nd listen: this also sounds like something she'd put in one of the old videos lol, but the over-the-top autotune makes it weird, it gets better right at the end but it just ends ugh (i wished it developed a bit more lol).

- halo

I wrote down that it's good. I also liked this one

2nd listen: I didn't notice how it changes in 1:00 into NCS music lol (idk how to describe it that sounds insulting but I don't mean it that way). This is a rad ending track. Sounds quite "poppycore", the ending breakdown before the very ending distortion is good.

I have goldfish memory so I'll give the whole album a 2nd listen and update this with better comments

edit (4m after posting): 2nd listen started, I'll edit this after each song

edit 2 (48m after posting): 2nd listen done, now this is a more proper review

Edited November 15, 20241 yr by Illyboy

4 hours ago, Jagger said:

I Disagree > Negative Spaces > Zig > Am I a Girl? > Flux > Poppy.Computer 

 

putting flux that low is criminal.

 

All her albums are great, but this is her best since I Disagree for me. 

I actually liked this more than expected, a little bit safe and has a couple of forgettable songs, but an improvement from Zig 

ok Vital is amazing

I need more time with this but aside from the singles Vital is my favorite 

Poppy casual here! Found her when she was working with WWE.

 

After one listen this is my initial ranking of the main (non-interlude) tracks:

 

Spoiler

They're all around us

Nothing

Have you had enough?

The cost of giving up

The center's falling out

Push go

New way out

Negative spaces

Vital

Surviving on defiance

Halo

Crystallized

The only song I disliked on the first go was Crystallized (but maybe it could grow on me). Overall solid album to me.

The whole album is so good! 

I Disagree > Am I A Girl? > Zig > Poppy.Computer > Flux > Negative Spaces

 

I am slowly realizing Zig is one of her best works (with bops like Linger, Flicker, Church Outfit, Knockoff, and Motorbike) 

 

Negative Spaces technically has higher highs than Flux, and Flux has lower lows. However, only Flux has its title track, Her, and As Godly As It Seems, so it gets the slight edge 

As someone already said, the strong tracks are STRONG.

For me personally, there's not a single dud on this. Witnessing her musical journey from That Poppy days to now, I'm slayed cause this is the same girl who dropped EWTBP (still a bop in my house) & this is another no-skip quality project I'll be looping from her

She's clearly trying to solidify herself in the metal genre & the metal community seems very receptive of her so hopefully she sees the payoff with this stellar album

 

Love all the songs but faves for now:

They're All Around Us, Crystallized, Nothing, Negative Spaces, Halo

 

nothing & the center's falling out are two of the worst songs of her career  

This is UNREAL quality

 

push go feels like it features the old pop her! 

1 hour ago, stjosephprey4us said:

nothing & the center's falling out are two of the worst songs of her career  

Isn't that more of a personal taste thing than a fact lol

'Tomorrow' sounds like Marcel the shell lol

crystallized and vital my faves

1 hour ago, ImpressMeMuch said:

Isn't that more of a personal taste thing than a fact lol

No, it's a fact, hope this helps!

 

Spoiler

But fr, in what world did I imply I wasn't just giving my opinion 

 

4 hours ago, stjosephprey4us said:

No, it's a fact, hope this helps!

 

  Reveal hidden contents

But fr, in what world did I imply I wasn't just giving my opinion 

 

lol, I meant like - is it a genre issue for you, composition? Curious to know why you hate them so strongly because they didn't stand out as offensive to me 

5 hours ago, ImpressMeMuch said:

lol, I meant like - is it a genre issue for you, composition? Curious to know why you hate them so strongly because they didn't stand out as offensive to me 

I know I'm not who you were talking to, but as a fellow um... un-enjoyer... of "nothing" as well as "vital" I can say that for me these two songs feel extremely derivative and uninspired. There's nothing about them that's even remotely Poppy and if they were cut from the album, it wouldn't actually subtract any substance. Boring melodies, bland lyrics, literally the filler tracks of this album to me are "nothing" and "vital"

i didn't realize this was already out (probably because there was a massive f*cking typhoon over the weekend ). i really loved "the cost of giving up" and "new way out" pre-release tracks.