Poppy, formerly known as "That Poppy" is a YouTuber, musician, and all-around very creepy person. This is normally the part where I'd give you her real name and a couple other details about her, but she's become infamous for being very secretive about her personal life, defending this by stating that she'd rather have people talk about her message above anything else. Her musical career began in 2016 with the release of her debut EP Bubblebath, which was followed up in 2017 with the release of her debut album Poppy.Computer. And, this year, on Halloween no less, she released her second album Am I a Girl?. This album tonally is very different from her other releases. Bubblebath was mostly a straightforward record with themes you'd typically see from up and coming artists. With Poppy.Computer, she started to amp her character's robotic undertones, with tracks like "Interweb" and "Bleach Blonde Baby" all but explicitly saying it. This new album, Am I a Girl?, features more adult themes, like gender identity (according to Poppy herself), but a couple of these tracks have a very apocalyptic feel to them in my opinion. There's fourteen tracks on this record, so we have a lot of ground to cover. Let's get into it and see how this album lives up to her other releases.
Track #1: "In a Minute"
This song is decent. The beat is really catchy and fits the tone/melody perfectly. From what I gather from the lyrics, the song is about how fame and popularity has given Poppy less free time for things like doing her nails or her makeup. Not sure what "reforming the state" has to do with that, but I like the message she was going for. Just a shame it isn't that well-written. The lyrics are bland, save for a few good lines here and there, and Poppy's vocal performance really doesn't do it any favors. She has a very good voice, don't get me wrong, but she really doesn't sound interested in what she's singing in this song. The interlude was unnecessary, but it's an editing trick that Poppy does in a lot of her songs, so it gets a pass. Overall, though, this song isn't a very strong opening to the record. It isn't a bad song, though.
Track #2: "Fashion After All"
A big step-up from "In a Minute", this song is simple yet fun. The beat, once again, is good. One thing Poppy does really well with her music is her instrumentals. The song's theme, as the title suggests, is about fashion. If you've watched any of Poppy's YouTube videos, the first thing you'll notice is her many interesting costumes. It's only natural that she'd eventually dedicate a song to them. It's a catchy tune about how she's revolutionized the world of fashion. I don't know if that's true, but that's what she says. In the second verse, that is. Almost every other section of the song features weirdly out of place lyrics, even by Poppy's standards, that I don't think actually mean anything. One such line is "My wrists are terrorists". I get the wordplay and all, but what does that have to do with anything? The shift in tone from verse to pre-chorus is jarring. But Poppy's vocals in this song make a big improvement from the previous song. She explores the lower part of her range in the verses and it sounds really good. I like this song, it's good.
Track #3: "Iconic"
I really like this song. Another good beat, a catchy vocal melody, and lyrics that actually fit the message all the way through for once. This is a very empowering, uplifting song that basically tells people to love themselves for who they are. A common message to sing about, but Poppy does it very well here. Lines like "You don't have to be flawless" and "Don't ever let them see you sweat" are great words to live by. Like in "Fashion After All", Poppy once again explores the deeper notes in her range, this time on the pre-chorus. And, again, they sound good. She has a very lovely singing voice. I don't have a lot of criticisms for this song. Just a few minute details. Firstly, "mostest" isn't a word. Secondly, the "Take it to the limit and then push it" line could probably have been written better. Like I said, minute details. This is a very good song, one of the highlights of the record.
Track #4: "Chic Chick"
"Chic" defines as "elegantly and stylishly fashionable". I didn't know that going into the song, but now I do. And, now that I know that, the song takes on a bit of a different meaning. Not too different, but I understand it more. I see this song as being about independence, and it's written very well. Lines like "If you don't like it, then you can bite it" work wonders to set the "I don't need people to be happy" mood. They're also funny, which is something else that adds to the charm. Poppy's voice sounds great on this track, the beat is nice, all of it comes together in a very good way. For a song that probably only exists for the wordplay title, it does it's job rather well. I like it. We continue.
Track #5: "Interlude 1"
Alright, I'm never listening to this again. It's only 48 seconds long (thank the Lord), but it is one of the freakiest things I've ever listened to in my life. There's one more "interlude" song on this album, and I'm really hoping it isn't as nightmare-inducing as this one was. It's not present on a physical copy of the album, it's in the version I get to listen to. Yay me. I don't like this. I don't like this one bit. The sounds of a whirring machine, Poppy's botched robotic-filtered voice chanting the same phrase over and over again, the annoying beeping in the background. I don't like this at all and I would like to move on with my life and pretend like I never listened to this. Thank you, next, moving on. Christ.
Track #6: "Time Is Up (ft. Diplo)"
One of the best songs on this album, "Time Is Up" is a chilling view of what humans are doing to Earth from the perspective of a robot. Diplo acted as a guest writer/producer of this track. He's worked with a lot of artists, everyone from Usher to Britney Spears to friggin' Die Antwoord. Those guys freak me out, but I'm getting off-topic. Not sure why Diplo was given song-title credit, but he did a good job. Poppy utilizes her robotic persona beautifully in the music video, and in the song itself. According to her, the song is about the theory of A.I. overthrowing humanity, and the lyrics do a good job of expressing it. The pre-chorus is some of the best-written and creepiest work Poppy has ever given us. I'm finding it even freakier cause I'm listening to it immediately after experiencing "Interlude 1", but even that is helping me get into the mood of "Time Is Up". This is a really good song.
Track #7: "Aristocrat (ft. Garibay)"
I don't know what Garibay did with this song to warrant a feature credit aside from co-write it, but whatever. It's not my song, so I can't gripe about that. This song is very good! The accent Poppy does with the verses sounds very pretty, the melodic music/vocals during those parts are awesome, it's ungodly catchy, and the whole thing flows flawlessly. This song kinda reminds me of "Lowlife" off of Bubblebath. Poppy uses her real voice rather than the one she uses for her character, there's no underlined themes of robotics or mass murder, it's just a staightforward tune that's trying to tell you a story. I like songs like these and I wish Poppy would do more of them, which is why I'm very happy we got this one. I have nothing bad to say about it, it's great. Give us more of this, Poppy. The robotic overlord stuff is nice, but I'd personally like to hear songs like this.
Track #8: "Hard Feelings"
This might be the closest we're gonna get to Poppy just outright declaring herself a robot for a while. I do like this song, though. The French lyrics were cool, even though I don't know what they mean. Some of the lyrics seem like they're referring to the Mars Argo/Titanic Sinclair lawsuit that's happening. Lines like "What crimes will you make me commit?" could be a response to the suit, as well as the backlash Poppy's been getting in the wake of it. I also see the pre-chorus as a jab at people who think Poppy is just a carbon copy of Mars Argo, it's really good stuff. This is accentuated by Poppy's somber vocal performance on this track. She sounds like she's calling out for someone to help her. It's kinda sad, actually. This is a very good song. The beat is catchy, it's well-written. Good work, Poppy.
Track #9: "Girls in Bikinis"
Okay, I don't know what vocal effect Poppy put on her voice for this chorus, but boy does it hurt my ears. It's probably just backing vocals being turned up to loud, but, whatever it is, it's painful to listen to. But, apart from that, this is a pretty good song. I see it as being about Poppy (or whoever) struggling with bisexuality, with the bridge supporting that idea. People who struggle with their sexuality will most likely identify with it for that. It could also be a jab at the oversexualization of women in various forms of media, given how Poppy describes her "perfect woman" in the chorus. Either way, the song works. You know the rest: I like the beat, Poppy's voice sounds pretty, all that good stuff that I've been saying for all of these songs. I do repeat myself a lot, I know.
Track #10: "The Rapture Ball"
This song could very easily have been called "The Best Bang Since The Big One", cause she says that phrase more than she does the actual title. This is one of those apocalyptic-themed songs I was referring to in the intro, the other one being "Time Is Up". Although this one doesn't really do much with the theme apart from the word "Rapture" being in the title. The second verse sorta sounds like descriptions of Heaven, but I don't know if those were Poppy's intentions. I don't much care for the lyrics for this song, to be honest. When they aren't forcing in religious references, they're just talking about a party. It's kinda bland. But it's catchy, with a nice vocal melody, so I guess it gets a pass. All-around, "The Rapture Ball" is a decent, but forgettable song. Just a shame that it's so close to the end of the record.
Track #11: "Interlude 2"
Remember what I said earlier about hoping that the second "interlude" song isn't as scary as the first one was? Well, I technically got my wish. Still awful, but not as bad. There aren't any lyrics this time around, just the "music". I put that in quotation marks cause I don't really think the sounds of R2D2 having an asthma attack count as music. I feel like these "interlude" songs could be cut and it would benefit the album. That's probably why they aren't present on the physical copies. I will say, though, when the melodic static-sounding sound starts playing, the song does become more tolerable. Not by much, but it definitely brings it higher than "Interlude 1".
Track #12: "Am I a Girl?"
The title track! Most albums have one of those, cause naming a record after one of the tracks is easy. But, joking aside, this is another great song. As the title suggests, it's about questioning your gender identity. These lyrics are extremely well-written, especially the pre-chorus. Anyone who is struggling with their gender identity is sure to relate with this. It's cool that Poppy did a song about this, it's a message that a lot of people will want/need to hear. Poppy's vocals do a good job of giving off a confused tone while she talks about not being sure what gender she identifies as. I'm not sure if she's talking about herself or if she's putting herself in the shoes of someone who is struggling with it, but, either way, it works well. Hopefully, this song will help people.
Track #13: "Play Destroy (ft. Grimes)"
Apologies for the choice of video. Couldn't find an official video or a lyric video for this song on this website for some reason. This was my only option. The voices are in English, but now you get to learn how to sing the song in Spanish. But, anyway, this song is kinda freaky. It's a massive shift from what we're used to hear from Poppy. This is a full-on heavy metal song, and I think it's awesome. I'm not a big fan of metal as a genre, personally, but I make a few exceptions sometimes (MCR, 5FDP, a few others). This is one of those times. The electric guitar riffs featured on this track sound really good, and I also like how the lyrics are basically just different variations of the chorus. Now, granted, the music does sometimes hurt my ears, but it's metal. It'll do that. And the message is "break things", which is awesome. Overall, this song is good, but kinda freaky when it comes to tone. This does make me have to praise the "interlude" songs, though. In a way, they foreshadow what "Play Destroy" will be like.
Track #14: "X"
Here we are, the final track of the album. It goes out on a really scary high note! I could've find the music video for this song on this website, even though it exists, but, having seen it myself, that's probably for the best. I really like the mix of heavy metal and sunshine pop that this song goes for. "Play Destroy" tried to do that, and did it well, but this song takes it up to 11 with how it mixes it. One minute, it's all happy and she's talking about saving the world and living in harmony. But, the next, she's screaming about how she wants to get bloody while a killer metal riff is blaring in the background. It's great. This song is an absolute banger. If Poppy were to make an album filled solely with songs like this one, it wouldn't bother me one bit. This was a really good way to send off the album. I like how the song ends musically with a mixture of the metal and the pop. The clash between two polar opposite music genres actually sounds really cool. I also like how the album ends on the lyrics "Take me back to the place where we began". You could start the record over on that note and relive it. I love this song.
Am I a Girl? is a huge improvement from her other music projects. I will say: Going into it, I wasn't expecting that it would take a sudden nosedive into the heavy metal genre. It might turn some people away from the album, but I personally didn't mind it. It actually fits the vibe of her more disturbing non-music videos, which there are plenty of, by the way. I very much enjoyed this album, and am looking forward to future Poppy music projects. I'm gonna give Am I a Girl? a 7. I realize that's what Fantano gave it, but I was hoping to get this out before he did his review. I didn't get to, but that's okay. 7 just feels like the right score for this album. It's a pretty good record. I don't know which album or EP I'm gonna cover next, but it'll be something. I don't really stan a whole lot of artists, so I'll probably do projects by artists I'm interested in as well as musicians I am big fans of. They won't all be good musicians. Die Antwoord has a new album coming out, maybe I'll talk about that. Who knows? They're a thing.
