I remember seeing some of Poppy’s early Youtube videos, but never paid attention to anything that followed. So, coming into this album I did not really know what to expect.
What can be heard on I Disagree is ambitious to say the least. The album is a mix of alternative metal and pop, with a heavy dose of industrial and a shoegaze-type feel sprinkled throughout. The combination of genres and the sporadic nature of several songs makes this sound like a mixture of Mr. Bungle, System of a Down, Maximum the Hormone, and BABYMETAL.
The album opens with ‘Concrete’, which bounces back and forth between breakdown style riffs, spacious dream pop, and a chorus that sounds like it belongs on a BABYMETAL record. At this point I felt like this was going to be a cheesy album that tries too hard to be quirky, and I considered turning it off and never giving it a chance.
I stuck with it and the following two tracks completely sold me on this album. The title track, ‘I Disagree’, is relatively straightforward and has some of the record’s catchiest moments. From there we reach ‘BLOODMONEY’, an abrasive and punishing song where a hard industrial sound is pushed to the forefront. Quite the contrast to its predecessor.
The spontaneity and mixing of styles continue until the very end, with the heaviness only being dropped for ‘Nothing I Need’ and ‘Sick of the Sun’. These two tracks are much more mellow, giving off a bedroom/dream pop feel that are a welcomed calm in the surrounding sea of chaos.
I Disagree is a creative endeavor that is sure to polarize many of its listeners. Is it a little cheesy? Yes. Is it over the top? Also yes, but If you can get past these two things, this record proves to be an incredibly fun listen that is well worth its 35-minute runtime.
Favourite Tracks: I Disagree, BLOODMONEY, Nothing I Need, Don’t Go Outside
Release Date: January 10, 2020