On October 27th, American singer-songwriter Poppy came back with a new album called Zig. Her fifth record is, yet again, another dive into Poppy’s immense creativity and need to, as the artist stated, “do things differently in a way that I’ve never done before”.
It seems like she is constantly reinventing herself through styles, lyrics, and aesthetic, pushing the boundaries of the genre and re-defining what being a musical artist is, taking sharp turns with every release, just like her new title track implies: you could compare her musical path to a zigzag. This time, after exploring pop-punk and heavy music in earlier albums, she goes for a more rhythmic pop sound, which is trickier to define.
Songs like ‘Church Outfit’ or ‘Knockoff’, the first two songs on the album, make you want to walk through town with all the self-confidence available, with runway-worthy elements and intense bass. In an interview on Zach Sang Show done before the official release, the artist explains those two pieces can be seen as “cousins”, and that ‘Flicker’, track number five on the record, is a distant relative. It is without a doubt that you feel connections between songs as the album goes, both sonorously and lyrically.
A song like ‘Hard’ does hit hard (excuse the pun). With a gentle roughness, track number three gives you vocals between spoken and sung, sometimes screamed, amplifying the impact of the song, and reinventing it as you listen. It’s fresh and exhilarating and it contrasts with ‘What It Becomes’ which is a much slower-paced sound, suddenly severing the very rhythmic flow of the earlier tracks. The pace of the whole record is well-balanced. It delivers a good amount of energy, all while incorporating more gentle tonalities.
‘Flicker’ is about “flickering between the fear of forever with somebody.” It’s a very melodic way of reminding listeners to be mindful of their own well-being as a person and it advocates for autonomy and self-confidence. Poppy explains, “You wanna make sure you are okay with yourself first before tying yourself to somebody else.” With her brutal honesty, she adds: “I wrote it (Flicker) while I was seeing a very boring person. I was bored out of my mind.”
Honesty indeed seems like the best qualificative to describe both Poppy and Zig. All stories brought to life in this new record are rooted in truth: “I think it’s always a challenge to come to a place where you feel a bit vulnerable, but I work with one of my best friends (…) and she always makes sure I’m honest.” A lot of her process is bringing personal journal entries to the studio and writing songs as she’s living these stories, creating pieces that are all unique and personal, yet easily relatable.
‘1s + 0s’, sixth track on the album, is an interesting song lyric-wise. It touches on relationships and how a lot of people say they are “the one” all while proving they are the opposite.
Then comes ‘Zig’. The title track is intense, and the artist is not scared of experimenting with filters and distorted sounds, leaving you with the feeling that something is slightly off, but in the best way possible. In fact, this unsure-sounding experimentation – which is, in fact, perfectly mastered – supports the idea that a path is not straight and is unique. “When you zig, I zag, I zigzag.” Poppy is not averse to doing things in her own way and it has been so ever since her musical career started.
‘Linger’ is possibly the softest and slowest song on the album. It starts off with acoustic guitars and vocals and sets the tone for a sad track, contrasting with ‘Zig’. It’s simple, emotional, and dreamy. There is just enough instrumental and just enough voice to keep you hooked.
Multiple tracks on the record have lyrics touching on relationships and love. ‘The Attic’ is one of them, but it sounds musically more upbeat, with fast drums and high-pitched vocals. Its positivity pairs up with anxiety as the lyrics unfold. New relationships are exciting yet can be terrifying, especially when you’ve been hurt before and when “There’s panic in the attic”. You could compare what Poppy calls “the attic” to her mind full of negative and distressing past relationship experiences.
With ‘Motorbike’, the songwriter shows us her skills at jumping from emotional or deep topics to lighter and fun tunes. The second to last song is about girls riding motorbikes. It’s as simple as that. It’s empowering, almost sensual and very catchy. When asked to define motorbike’s lyrics, Poppy says: “Whenever I see a girl on a motorcycle, I always stare at her a little bit longer than I would with a guy. If I see a guy, I think: What bike is that? If I see a girl I think: Wow she’s beautiful. She’s cool.”
On the same powerful wavelength but in a relatively different type of sound, the last track on the album, ‘Prove It’ is versatile and preaches fulfillment and uniqueness. Verses are gentle, choruses are electric, and lyrics are harsh. Its oddly nostalgic feel is a perfect way to finish off the album and to remind us, yet again, that Poppy is a fearless, bold artist in many more ways than solely a musician.
“I never sought for your opinion or ask for your take.
I got no one to prove myself to but me, that’s why my heels are dug in so deep.”
There is something off-putting in Poppy’s sonorous universe and once you’ve fallen into it, it’s hard to get out of.
If you would like to hear the artist speak about her work, you can find the interview referred to above here!
Written by: Noah F.
Edited by: Nèri Cliteur
