Real name Moriah Pereira, Poppy is a YouTube-born character who has been described as both an alien and a cult leader (she has, of course, released a book, The Gospel of Poppy). I Disagree is her third studio album, and it finds the LA-based creator pushing into more eclectic territory than ever – which is saying something, given how her earlier work blended the off-kilter sheen of PC Music with a hyperactive iteration of ska.
Self-described as “post-genre”, Poppy channels early Gwen Stefani (replete with the interest in Japanese kawaii, or cuteness) and whispery, dark, glee-club theatrics – think Billie Eilish gone hair metal.
It’s a cartoonish record that is at once garish, sweet and over the top, the rollicking candyfloss pop of tracks such as Concrete masking lines about wanting to be buried and turned into a street. Stark contortions are at the album’s centre: shouting, spiky guitars and clashing electro are met with soft, dissonant harmonies (the standout title track is a thrilling distillation of all of the above). Overall, an enjoyable, imaginative and at times uncanny assault on the senses.
