Poppy's "Am I A Girl?" May Be The Most Bewildering Album Of The Year

It’s no mystery that Poppy is one of the most left-field artists in the pop world, but her latest record really takes that sentiment to another level. Poppy’s Am I A Girl? may be the most bewildering album of the year, but in the best way possible.

Am I A Girl? kicks off in the weird way you’d expect it to. ‘In A Minute‘ kicks the record off with Poppy’s mechanical popstar voice, the sweet instrumental adding a fun and carefree atmosphere to add some sense of humanity to Poppy’s voice. In this record, it feels like Poppy is trying to discover whether or not she’s a robot or a human. ‘In A Minute’ dives into that with the chorus: “Cash my check, got paid, yeah, I did it / I haven't done my nails in a minute.“ The following track ‘Fashion After All‘ gets even more serious with it as Poppy talks about doing her makeup and all things fashion. Admittedly, this song is super catchy and infectious in all the weirdest ways, and Poppy really does a good job at selling herself as the weirdest popstar. Other tracks see her get even more into it, like the blunt ‘Chic Chick‘ (“Chic chick, I'm a chic chick, I'm a chic chick / If you don't like it suck my dick“ is an incredible line) or the uncomfortably accurate ‘Iconic.’

The first few songs may be relatively weird, but this album quickly gets even stranger. The middle of the record is actually pretty chill, with summery tracks like ‘Aristocrat‘ with Garibay and ‘Time Is Up‘ with Diplo. Things start picking up with a bit more edge and drive with the alternative ‘Hard Feelings,’ which gets pretty heavy. Title track ‘Am I A Girl?‘ brings more alternative rock vibes… and then things get really wild. Grimes features in the “special” track ‘Play Destroy.’ Grimes and Poppy are probably the dynamic duo of weird in the pop world, and this track really sells that. Starting off with a literal nu metal riff before kicking into the sweetest, dreamiest verse of the entire album, ‘Play Destroy’ literally switches things up on the fly. It’s almost the opposite of what you’d expect from this collaboration. ‘X‘ closes the record on a giant note, guitars roaring and drums pounding before Poppy goes back into a very Beatles-esque, light jam. Then the distortion kicks back in, and you have absolutely no idea what’s going on. This album is a clusterfuck in the wildest and amazing ways.

Poppy’s Am I A Girl? may be the most bewildering album of the year, but in great ways. You truly can never understand what’s going on, but all the while Poppy delivers great melodies, hooks, and memorable lines. You won’t forget this album simply because of how unpredictable it is, but at the same time you can’t help but love it. Poppy may be the weirdest popstar out there, but you have to appreciate how daring she is.

Favorite Tracks: Hard Feelings, Fashion After All

Least Favorite Track: Iconic

Rating: 78 / 100

Stream or buy Am I A Girl? on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: