REVIEW #1: 72/100

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Poppy as an artist is hard to pin down. She’s never put herself in a box and right from the very beginning, she expressed the intent to do things decidedly against the grain. Her debut project was heavy metal force with pop sensibilities and while it didn’t exactly set the charts on fire, it established her as restlessly creative and relentlessly driven to do something unique. That spirit holds true on her debut full length LP, a record about a female deity leading a revolution and this sums up the album’s vibe immensely well. From the outset you know you’re headed into something new and strange and off the beaten path, but quite where it all ends you’re never sure. The album is, as described by its creator, an amalgamation of all the sounds Poppy has experimented with from pop to metal. This is quite a concept, but it doesn’t always make for the smoothest of listening. While no song on here taken on it’s own is bad, as an album things can feel all over the place. But one has to imagine this was intentional on Poppy’s part. Still, her ability to move between the different styles with relative ease is impressive. She demonstrates a keen ear and eye for adapting to new situations and she in turn makes the audience learn how to do it with her.

 

What remains wholly inconsistent throughout the album is lyricism. Sometimes she hits the nail on the head and delivers some genuinely great and thought provoking lines, and other times the lines are cringy. For every musing about the album’s central themes and ideas, there’s something about calling someone a jerk or drinking soda to rise up and meet it. When she does hit though, she hits. “C.O.N.T.R.O.L.”, “Sensory Deprivation”, “Jesus Wept”, and “Ragdoll” are all deliciously unhinged and wild in their lyrics and they’re prime examples of something landing the right way. 

 

Production wise, things are slick and well done. Poppy, Diplo, and Chris Greatti headed production and together they combined to make a team of people who clearly know what they’re looking for. Even when the lyrics aren’t hitting, there’s no shortage of great sounding music to get invested in. They managed to keep some impressive consistency from track to track considering it moves through different genres as much as it does. Things are different from each song to the next, but the DNA is still there tying it all together remarkably well. 

 

Poppy’s versatility is on full display on this album. Sometimes, that versatility, and the boldness that comes with it, threatens to undo the whole thing but the album never does fall apart. Not every song is golden, but no song is a skip either. Some will be songs you seek out to hear and some will just come on during a playlist and you wouldn’t skip it. Having a mix like this is not unusual for a debut album at any rate. If this album is anything to by, Poppy will be a much needed shot in the arm to the industry what with her willingness to try these things as well as her big creative mind. The album isn’t perfect; it’s lyrically inconsistent, can feel a little too diverse for its own good sometimes, and feels awkwardly short. But despite this, you can’t help but get invested. When things are going right, they go so very right. The project is likely to be confusing, but it is all a part of the plan. 

 

Poppy is a provocateur, always has been and hopefully always will be and this album proves it. What a great place to start building her LP catalogue. 

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REVIEW #2: 70/100

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It’s clear that Poppy is an artist unlike any other. In fact, that much has been clear since the moment she stepped into the industry. Straying away from the mold many fresh artists aim to fit, she does everything in her own way and with the confidence of a veteran in her craft. Certainly an artist to watch, she’s caught the eye of many with various releases to this point including her first EP, Call Me Vile. However, now the songstress has finally released her debut full length project, Vilivati, The First.

 

The opening track, VIPER, is an explosive start to the project that packs a punch from the moment it starts. That energy is carried throughout the song, slowing down for a moment to allow it’s feature, Azealia Banks, to come in before ramping right back up. At times, the song feels a little disconnected lyrically but the moments that work (particularly the second verse) shine through. Perhaps a small line in that verse, but the song does provide the first mention of Vilivati that portrays it as something to be explored throughout the album. My biggest complaint with the song is really just Banks herself, just as her verse doesn’t add much to the track and more so takes away from the themes Poppy begins to establish and is capable of carrying herself. Moving onto Glamour In All Forms, it quickly establishes itself as an album highlight. Where VIPER could feel disconnected, this track finds itself tied together in a clear message packaged in a ball of energy and aggression that only Poppy could pull off. The production is another high point, being flashy, non-stop and in your face in the best way. Admittedly, it’s a simple message that isn’t portrayed in the most complex manner, but the truth is it doesn’t need to be when it’s carried by Poppy’s authentic anger and power. Sensory Deprivation is next, being one of the album’s singles thus far. It’s decision to be a single is justified, perhaps showing Poppy at the best we’ve seen her. Stepping back from her hard hitting approach and displaying a more vulnerable side allows Poppy to deliver a stunning lyrical reflection of her own inner struggles that isn’t clouded by the sheer aggression of the track. 

 

DROWN follows, and sees another mention of Vilivati after a brief mention in the previous track, giving us a little more insight into this being. As far as this track goes though, there’s little else to it. With a runtime of just over two minutes, including and intro and outro, there’s little room for the track to reach any heights in the production or lyrics. Both stay somewhat stagnant at a level that doesn’t quite reach the highs of previous songs. Perhaps with a little more time to use, they could’ve built up to something more but unfortunately they don’t get the chance. The album’s lead single, C.O.N.T.R.O.L with Christina Aguilera, sees a return to the metal influences of early tracks. To get it out of the way, I’m not the biggest fan of the chorus and I would’ve loved to see more done with it in place of the instrumental segments, but the verses themselves are a high point on the album. The production is fine, lacking any major issues, although there are moments that leave you wishing it would build up into something. Indoctrination Interlude is an unexpected inclusion, even for Poppy, but it’s eerie and mysterious essence ties in with this Vilivati idea perfectly as she somehow pulls it off.

 

From this point, it seems we may get to see more of Vilivati and what it represents as we transition into Jesus Wept. Sonically, the track is perhaps the strangest so far as it combines various sounds into one odd yet surprisingly satisfying soundscape. Lyrically, the song is very interesting although one can’t help but feel there’s more to it than has really been established within the album itself. It’s clear that this is a key moment in the album, and Poppy’s emotion and delivery are excellent at conveying that, but it’s difficult to understand what this moment actually represents in the Vilivati storyline. Moving onto MORGUE which, as perhaps the most pointed song of the record, appears to focus on Poppy’s own experience within the industry itself with a return to her hard hitting lyrics and powerful delivery. Lyrically, the song is perfectly fine with some stand out lines (particularly Guess I’m just over-reactive; But, at least I’m one that reacted), although the production really allows the song to stand out with some of the most engaging of the entire project. Ending the project with RAGDOLL is an interesting choice, as many of the lyrics directly contrast others within the album. On it’s own, the song has no major flaws (although the use of the word “yucky” in the post-chorus is far from my favourite on the album), but in the context of the album I think it leaves a lot to be desired as one may expect a return to the ideas around Vilivati. Again though, the production is sublime and perhaps the best on the album, giving it an incredible send off.

 

 

Overall, Vilivati, The First, is a promising debut album from the rising star and one that sets up the character of Vilivati to hopefully be explored within Poppy’s work in the future. With some of the biggest highs of her career, particularly in tracks like Sensory Deprivation, the album is strong although doesn’t quite reach the standard set by Call Me Vile. One thing that you cannot deny about Poppy is that she is an artist with a clear and dedicated vision in her work, and she’s at her best when she can balance her delivery and emotions in a song with these ideas she wants to portray. Admittedly, we don’t see a lot of the Vilivati character established within the album which I would love to see, although the possibility of a second album with this idea is hopefully not too far from reality! With the combined highs of her first two projects, the mastermind concepts and sheer passion in her music, it’s clear that Poppy has all the ingredients for a masterpiece right at her feet, just waiting to be put into the next project she puts out. What is sure is that, with the unpredictable nature of Poppy as an artist, she’ll have us all on our toes waiting for what comes next from her.

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