If, on account of her hyperactive release schedule, you thought you had Poppy figured out – well, you should probably sort out some of your decision-making faculties, because to put Poppy in a box is to miss the entire point of Poppy altogether. For some time now, the artist has been making her “post-genre” intentions clear and with her latest single, ‘Flux’ and indeed its older sibling ‘Her’ from the same impending release, she provides yet another shining example that Poppy is simply not here for any neat or tidy labels. Both are taken from the former single’s namesake, her forthcoming studio album Flux, which is set to drop on Friday, 24th September.
With ‘Her’, Poppy exudes a grunge energy, and ‘Flux’ doesn’t wander too far from that, yet at the same time manages to present a whole new side to Poppy’s grunge sensibilities. It’s brighter and more shimmering, but don’t mistake this for a smile – this is Poppy simply bearing her fangs for all to see. For the first three-quarters of the song, Poppy lulls you into a false sense of security before unleashing hell with her now-iconic demonic screams reaching out from your speakers, smacking you in the face before turning itself up even louder.
The video accompaniment for ‘Flux’ is a stunning, blissful hellscape of strangely cute but altogether creepy critters as Poppy stomps her way throughout. The clip was also directed by Poppy herself, in collaboration with Australian visual/sculpture artist Pip & Pop.
Flux was brought to life by acclaimed producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen, who had Poppy and her band record the whole album live to tape, which no doubt adds to the organic and raw feel of these singles – after all, you can’t fool tape. Poppy has been habitually releasing utter gold since 2016, with her most recent offerings I Disagree, Music To Scream To and I Disagree (More), all dropped over the last year.
