Poppy is pissed.

With the war-drums-esque opening of Empty Hands' album intro, “Public Domain,” the mood is established with immediacy and absolute certainty. Enter genre-bending electronic bleeps and bloops and distorted bubblegum vocals on the verse, followed by big guitars, and her now signature melodic metal vocals on the chorus, and you have a pretty good idea of what the next 38 minutes will offer up. 

Poppy’s latest finds Jordan Fish once more at the helm on production and co-writing duties. Additional songwriting co-credits are attributed to House of Protection’s Stephen Harrison on several tracks and, at midpoint-absolute-banger “Dying to Forget,” Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale. As a result, Empty Hands serves as the next seamless evolution in Poppy’s wildly versatile discography. For some, it may prove too sonically predictable as the follow-up to Negative Spaces, but I find it to be the sequel that expands upon her heavy metal lore. While Negative Spaces remains one of my favorite albums of the past decade, Empty Hands deserves credit for its tight, coherent production that strays heavier than its predecessor. Some say predictable, I say, “thank you, more please.” 

Empty Hands is out now on Sumerian Records.

The album showcases her capabilities and clear comfort within the defined genre lanes of alternative metal. The drums are bigger, the guitars are somehow even louder, and the screams arrive in greater abundance. And the closing title track? Let’s just say I’ve never heard her sound like that before… a significant shift from her traditional somber and low-key album enders. For Poppy, this release may prove lightly divisive only in that she’s entered the no-win scenario of either giving the people more of what they want or taking an abrupt genre turn. It’s construed as being either too similar or too different. Ultimately, what’s clear is that Empty Hands is Poppy doing what she does best. If you don’t like it, tough shit.

Despite the album’s influx of heated emotions and raw musical aggression, her pop sensibilities remain fully intact. Leave it to Poppy to have distinctive hooks amongst the chaos without missing a beat or losing a sense of cohesiveness. Like Negative Spaces before it, Empty Hands dips its toes into some alt-rock-electropop-hybrid-oriented moments, scattered across various verses, choruses, and interludes. The handful of interludes and the “quieter” (I use this term very loosely here) segments serve as brief reprieves to catch your breath between the mosh pit explosions of the album's sustained ferocity. 

"Bruised Sky," the lead single from Empty Hands.

Lyrically, she’s just so done with the bullshit. Themes of betrayal and a general sense of “you are a horrible person and I hope you die” are prevalent throughout. There’s also a sense of introspection, feelings of defeat, heartbreak, and moving forward in the face of adversity, though I will note the latter is presented as less outwardly optimistic than on previous efforts like “Push Go.” And to her continual credit, Poppy is able to express these morbid sentiments with earnestness and dark poeticism. It feels relatable, not overly dour or immature. There’s no on-the-nose teen angstiness at play. It’s thoughtful sincerity, and her emotions can be felt, both from a songwriting and delivery standpoint. You can really feel this record down to your bones. Poppy’s been through the wringer, and her music proves to be the catharsis from which she can maintain some sanity in an increasingly volatile world and an industry full of sycophants and fakeness. I think we can all relate in one way or another.

What makes it all the more interesting at this point in her career is the added context of her musical and persona-based evolution. From her mysterious beginnings as an offbeat, android-like internet personality formerly known as That Poppy, to a much more sincere and “heart-on-her-sleeve” presentation of the feelings of the human being Moriah Rose Pereira informing the persona of Poppy, the progression is staggering. I won’t dive too deep here into her backstory, but Poppy’s self-actualization is evident with each subsequent release. From having been a victim of abuse and manipulation to emerging as an independent, unstoppable metal queen, she fought to become who she is today and it consistently shines in her artistry. The juxtaposition between “Moriah the private person” and "Poppy, the artist" remains a safe and distinctive line of separation. No parasocial weirdness allowed here. But her willingness to showcase her private emotional struggles breaks through, proving that the most authentically sourced art is also the most powerful. 

Despite the overall downer in terms of thematic exploration, this album makes my 36-year-old-chronically-tired-millennial ass want to jump straight into the moshpit. I consider myself a relatively optimistic individual overall, but my favorite artists are some of the most famously sad boys and girls of all time (with Trent Reznor being my personal hero and number one artist across every artistic medium, period). But what I’ve found over the past three-and-a-half-plus-a-little-more decades is that the emotions we classify as “negative” or “bad” are frequently the most sincere and real when it comes to creativity. Artistic expression is the pressure-release valve. And as Poppy has consistently proven, especially since the era of I Disagree, misery, anger, angst, sadness, confusion, and the entire family of bummer feelings we all endure in our lifetimes yields the most fruitful results.

Empty Hands proves relentless without being exhausting. It’s beautiful and raw. It is a perfect encapsulation of all that comprises Poppy the artist and is another top-tier effort in a career filled with profoundly fearless musical exploration. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit what genre lane she explores next, or if she simply comfortably remains in this one, or if it’s a free-for-all amalgamation of everything that’s come before. She has proven time and again to be among the most exciting artists working today, and I will patiently await her next project 38 minutes at a time as I endlessly spin Empty Hands (and her back catalogue) until that time comes. 

Don’t let the title fool you; the themes explored on this album may present as a “glass half empty” declaration, but the delivery proves Poppy will continue to fill ours. 

Good luck to the rest of 2026’s releases. I may already have my album of the year.