Music Review // Poppy "Empty Hands" (Sumerian Records)

https://sumerianrecords.bandcamp.com/album/empty-hands

     Back in 2020, when I first heard Poppy and the album "I Disagree" I was immediately in love.  I know there has been music by Poppy since then, a few albums in fact, but I always go back to "I Disagree" when I think about Poppy because of the way it has this pop sound which makes me think of anime but then also just switches over into the heaviest of metals, the type of sound that would make any metalhead blush.  I feel like this concept is back on "Empty Hands", as it can go from those big crushing chords to fast paced dance pop.

Between the singing and screaming, you can hear the electronics come out on "Bruised Sky", which makes me go right back to that Poppy sound I know and love.  Big keys come out on "Unravel" and I think the point to all of this is that you're going to find artists out there who go hard.   The final track, the titular track, has this hardcore energy complete with breakdowns like Converge.  The way that "Dying To Forget" hits the screaming first will just compete with any type of screamo or hardcore band you know.  But it's the little things that Poppy does, which those other artists simply don't, which sets this all apart.

Lyrically, there are a lot of songs you will sing along with and the anger just comes out.  But to remind us that this is Poppy, there is one part of the song "Eat The Hate" where the lyrics say: "Eat the hate, it makes me cum / Use your tongue to clean it up / Anonymous and hiding from my gun" and then it gets quiet and you just hear this "What?" like someone in the studio gave Poppy this shocked look or something.   But I definitely love how heavy this is and at the same time it will create looks from people but in the way that you want to attract attention.