Poppy - 'Empty Hands' - Review

BAND. Poppy's rise to wider fame and industry respect in the last few years has been a joy to watch. After a long journey of experimentation and self discovery, she absolutely hit the nail on the head with Negative Spaces (2024), a modern alt-metal masterclass and the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Jordan Fish that continues to flourish on their latest effort Empty Hands. A blockbuster release for Sumerian Records, the LP is a disarming statement of Poppy's importance in the current musical landscape and her crucial role in the alternative scene

REVIEW. The perfect successor to Negative Spaces, Empty Hands maintains that sweet balance between Poppy's signature whimsical personality and volatile mood swings on one side, and the unmissable Bring Me The Horizon-esque production grandeur and cinematic feel on the other. Bold, powerful and direct at first, quickly switching to fragile and vulnerable in an instant, with moments of dizzying emotional turbulence inbetween, a trademark Poppy experience. Existing fans should be thrilled, new ones are in for a treat.

SONGS. A stompy industrial intro 'Public Domain' leading to the big ones - 'Bruised Sky' and 'Guardian', all proven alt-metal anthems, now joined by the brand new and truly faultless 'Time Will Tell' as the album's unchallenged climax. Inbetween, you can pick between the hysteric pit-starters like 'Dying to Forget' and the closer 'Empty Hands', the electro-pop-infused singles 'Unravel' or 'The Wait' or even the punky rager 'Eat The Hate'. As unpredictable and multifaced as Poppy herself.

OVERALL. Empty Hands proves once and for all that the Negative Spaces formula works. Now, having mastered the current output, it is up to Poppy and her star team of Jordan Fish and Sumerian Records to figure out what the best destination is going to be. And something tells me we are up for a whole new surprise with whatever follows.

Poppy - 'Empty Hands'

Country: United States

Release: 23 January

Label: Sumerian Records