Words: Milo Hempel
Poppy.Computer is the debut album by internet personality and total enigma, Poppy. The Poppy YouTube channel has been growing very steadily over the last two years, thanks to viral videos and attention from other channels. And she has grown for good reason, those who can see past the initial weirdness will find a fascinating art project that aims to deconstruct the image of the modern popstar in the age of the internet. And so, now that we have the first full studio album of Poppy material, how does it fit in with the Poppy character, and most importantly, is the music good?
Overall, Poppy.Computer does mostly achieve what it sets out to do very well. The album kicks off with the fantastic I’m Poppy, which effectively acts as a mission statement for the character of Poppy. It kicks off with a catchy yet eerie verse, before exploding into a glitchy chorus over a hard hitting synth melody, it’s a great opener. There are other great tracks too, My Microphone, Computer Boy, and Interweb are some of the more hard hitting cuts, with the lyrics of each one feeding into Poppy’s persona as this being from the depths of the internet. The hook on Interweb is fantastically sinister, “I’ve caught you in my interweb, I’ve caught you in my internet, well maybe I’m a spider, or maybe I’m a fisherman”. The tracks Bleach Blonde Baby and Software Upgrade are simple enough pop songs, but the lyrics have an edge that makes them interesting, and My Style, has a hook that is downright chilling.
Poppy.Computer offers some of the most subtle and clever satire out there in the music industry. It’s definitely one of the most intriguing pop records of the year, and is worth your time.
Poppy tickets are available here
Website – impoppy.com
Facebook – /Poppy
Twitter – @Poppy
YouTube – /thatPoppyTV