Poppy’s seventh album is not just a visceral eruption of rage, but her most chameleonic, creative body of work to date…
On her last album, 2024's Negative Spaces, Poppy set a new bar for herself, but she’s evidently undaunted by the thought of clearing it. Rarely concerned with numbers and milestones, she’s chasing what excites her, which right now is the raw, unfettered energy that she finds when she unleashes her emotions live. It certainly helps that she’s got a huge well of rage stored, specifically for those in life who take and hoard and pile their trophies up with little regard for its impact, or how long it might last.
Stylistically, Empty Hands isn’t wildly removed from Negative Spaces, especially as alternative mega-producer Jordan Fish is at the helm once again. It both builds on its strengths and irons out its weaknesses, particularly where Jordan’s production style is concerned. Instead of crowding out Poppy’s own style with his, their palettes coalesce better, such as on the volcanic yet melodic Bruised Sky and the skyscraping sweetness of Guardian.
It’s varied but cohesive, never sagging even with a 13-song tracklist, with glints of some of Poppy’s most exciting ideas yet. Chief among them is opener Public Domain, a juddering industrial number flowing from mocking, robotic vocals – ‘Fuck your ignorant opinions / Maybe you ain't got a reason to live,’ she sneers – into something almost theatrical, representing Poppy at her most individual.
Some of the most attention-grabbing moments here will inevitably be the heavier songs – and they are incandescent on a level you've not quite heard from Poppy before. Dying To Forget’s shrapnel-like riffs are as merciless as its lyrics – ‘I resent the fact you’re living / Now the hate will keep me warm’ – while the scathing title-track is a seething finale bristling with visceral hatred, as well as a brilliant climax offering some truly eye-watering screams. Elsewhere, she twists that hatred into some acerbic sass across Eat The Hate’s jiving rhythms – ‘Eat the hate ’cause I'm the judge / God will throw an uppercut / You're celibate ’cause no-one wants to fuck.’
This is what it sounds like when Poppy is properly in her element. When she’s got something that lights her on fire, she’s unstoppable, and this is how she’s been able to write possibly her best songs yet.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Spiritbox, Bad Omens, Knocked Loose
Empty Hands is due out on January 23 via Sumerian Records. Get your Poppy x Kerrang! limited edition 20 page zine.
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