Poppy gets arena-ready on Negative Spaces

Jordan Fish, previously of Bring Me The Horizon, took up production duties for Poppy’s latest project, and he’s not strayed far from what he knows. Still, Negative Spaces avoids sounding like an all-out Bring Me tribute thanks, largely, to Poppy’s already-proven versatility. There are nods to other influences, from Slipknot to Hole, while glimpses of her poppier instincts on tracks like “vital” and “nothing” – even between the heavier moments on “they’re all around us” – bring a touch of Meet Me @ The Alter into the mix.

These touchpoints help to demarcate the new space Poppy’s chosen for this record, but they serve as inspirations rather than restrictive blueprints. Everywhere, this album is stamped with her own undeniable personality. She thrashes between the flailing, crashing opener “have you had enough?”; the electronic, thumping “push go”, and bouncing, club-ready “crystallized” in a way that somehow feels consistent – probably because, when you’ve covered as much musical ground as Poppy, it’s hard to leave your own remit.

While Negative Spaces is impressive for the sheer amount packed into its 15 tracks, it also stands out for how big it sounds – the plus side of Fish bringing so much from his old gig with him. From the intensity of opening bulldozer “have you had enough?”, to the blowout choruses of “surviving on defiance” and “new way out”, it’s not hard to imagine the massive venues Poppy could fill with this record. Refusing to ever be one note, though, she calms things down towards the end for interlude-style “tomorrow” and woozy, introspective finale “halo”. Taken together, it’s a sprawling, surprising album that proves a heavier sound looks good on her.