Let It All Burn Down

Poppy “I Disagree”

Poppy’s gradual shift towards a more abrasive sound has been interesting and only mildly surprising given that even her most bubblegum pop music was rooted in a trolling, “what’s even real, mannnn” questioning of commercial culture and YouTube mediation. But it also makes sense in that the sounds she’s been gravitating to – particularly the nü-metal guitar aesthetics – have only recently become understood as a form of kitsch. “I Disagree” is, on a formal level, basically a Sleigh Bells song with their more AC/DC approach to guitar riffing swapped out for a more Korn/OzzFest vibe. It’s a winning formula, and you really don’t need to pick up on any kind of wink for this to just be effective as an exciting and dynamic piece of music. But all the same, that wink – as well as Poppy’s overt femininity – is crucial for giving those guitar parts a fresh context that highlights everything thrilling about this style while cutting away all the less appealing baggage of sincere hyper-masculine aggression. You could see this is a sort of musical gentrification, particularly in that nü-metal is mostly associated with working class people, but I think what Poppy is doing works and does the original music some favors in retrospect by highlighting the most fun elements and giving those musicians credit for being effective and often deliberately funny.

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