Flux (Poppy album)

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Flux
Studio album by
Poppy
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Genre
Length32:11
LabelSumerian
ProducerJustin Meldal-Johnsen
Poppy chronology
Eat (NXT Soundtrack)
(2021) 		Flux
(2021) 		Stagger
(2022)
Singles from Flux
  1. "Her"
    Released: June 30, 2021
  2. "Flux"
    Released: July 29, 2021
  3. "So Mean"
    Released: August 25, 2021

Flux is the fourth studio album by American singer Poppy. It was released on September 24, 2021, through Sumerian Records. The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and features a more organic sound in comparison to her previous album, I Disagree. The album received positive reviews.

Background and release[edit]

During an interview with Spin, Poppy said that she wanted the songwriting to be the focal point of the album as opposed to "the rollercoaster of emotions that I Disagree was."[1] The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen who had previously worked with artists such as Paramore, M83 and St. Vincent, among others.[1][2] On June 30, 2021, Poppy released the lead single for the new album titled, "Her".[3] The title track was released as the second single for the album.[4] On August 25, 2021, Poppy released the third single from the album titled "So Mean" and released it with an accompanying music video.[5] The album was released on September 24, 2021.[6]

Composition[edit]

Flux has been described as alternative rock,[7][8][9] grunge,[10][11] pop-punk,[10][11] dream pop,[11][12] shoegaze,[11] and punk rock.[13] AllMusic and Flood Magazine both called the album a rock record."[7][14] Flood Magazine also called the album grunge-pop.[7] According to Clash, "Flux sees Poppy continue to embrace her love of punk, rock and heavy metal but still keeps that day-dreaming pop element to it that some of her previous works have."[10] According to Spin, the album "[draws] on stoner-metal ('Lessen the Damage'), pop-punk ('So Mean'), new wave ('Hysteria') and shoegaze-y dream-pop ('As Strange as It Seems') in satisfying bursts."[1] The title track utilizes some electronic elements.[13] The album marks a departure from the metal sound of her previous album and is considered to be less aggressive. However, the album still features some screaming from Poppy.[15] The album also features a more organic sound in comparison to her previous album. According to Poppy during an interview with Spin, "for all of us to be in the room together, Justin wanted to make a live record. And he mentioned at the very beginning of it — his exact words were, 'I've never been this little prepared to start an album', which made me very excited."[1] To make the album sound more organic, Poppy and her band recorded it together live to tape.[16]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[17]
Metacritic80/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Beats Per Minute80%[19]
Clash8/10[10]
DIY[20]
Exclaim!9/10[21]
Kerrang!4/5[22]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[12]
NME[8]
Pitchfork7.3/10[11]
Wall of Sound8/10[23]

Flux received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 80 out of 100, based on eight reviews.[18]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic considered the album to be a "step forward for Poppy's songwriting" and called the album "[her most] authentic and earnest work."[14] Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Wohlmacher stated "Flux is the most direct and unfiltered of Pereira's projects so far. Where her...pop records have explored viral aspects of cultural cosplay, and I Disagree saw her playfully weave medleys that presented nu-metal crossovers with Japanese city pop and 60s psychedelia...Flux manages to highlight to the forgotten influence women had on rock and pop in the 90s..."[19] Shannon Garner of Clash praised the album's musical content and throwback to old sounds stating it is "a scintillating blend of 90s alt-rock and daring 2k21 elements".[10] Emma Swann of DIY praised the album and called it "a great rock album."[20]

Writing for Exclaim!, Rhys Juergensen stated, "[Poppy's] constant need for change — for flux — is, ironically, the very thing that gives her consistency. With this album, Poppy very clearly says that her new niche is to not have a niche.[21] Rhian Daly of The Forty-Five was positive towards the album and stated, "with sonic sugar rushes and eardrum assaults, Poppy's fourth album is the sound of her finding her feet through a big creative shift."[24] Kerrang!'s James Hickie stated that "Poppy triumphs on her deepest and most artistic album to date, Flux".[22] Red Dziri of The Line of Best Fit stated, "her latest album proves that there's simply no boxing her in – despite all the attempts by previous collaborators to keep her contained."[12]

Writing for NME, El Hunt described the album as "determined, fun-filled and perception-defying alt-rock".[8] Brad Sanders writing for Pitchfork stated, "Poppy’s albums have increasingly offered revealing glimpses of the woman behind the mask. Flux is her most unguarded work yet, and it's the closest we've come yet to meeting the real Poppy."[11] Paul Brown of Wall of Sound stated, "[this album proves] Poppy has well and truly earned her spot amongst the greats of the alternative scene."[23]

Year-end lists[edit]

Flux on year-end lists
Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
The Boston Globe The 60 best albums of the year
2021
—
[25]
Kerrang The 50 best albums of 2021
16
[26]
RIFF Magazine 108 Best Albums of 2021
24
[27]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen.

Flux track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Flux"
5:00
2."Lessen the Damage"
  • Poppy
  • Wilcox
2:21
3."So Mean"
  • Poppy
  • Chris Greatti
2:56
4."On the Level"
  • Poppy
  • Greatti
3:25
5."Hysteria"
  • Poppy
  • Wilcox
  • Meldal-Johnsen
4:20
6."Her"Poppy2:08
7."Bloom"
  • Poppy
  • Greatti
3:50
8."As Strange as It Seems"
  • Poppy
  • Greatti
4:05
9."Never Find My Place"
  • Poppy
  • Greatti
4:00
Total length:32:11

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Flux
Chart (2021) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[28] 46
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[29] 40
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[30] 16
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[31] 60

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for Flux
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 24, 2021
Sumerian [32]
November 12, 2021 Vinyl [33]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Reed, Ryan (September 16, 2021). "Poppy on Seeking 'Inner Peace,' the Beauty of Cry-Driving, Focused New LP 'Flux'". Spin. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Wass, Mike (August 27, 2021). "Poppy Earned a Metal Grammy Nod, Then Decided To Explore a New Genre". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Schaffner, Lauryn (June 30, 2021). "Poppy Is Channeling Nirvana on New Song 'Her'". Loudwire. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Carter, Josh (August 2, 2021). "Poppy announces new album 'Flux' with visual for title track—watch". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Quiles, Alyssa (August 25, 2021). "Poppy Drops New Video For "So Mean" Ahead Of Upcoming Album 'Flux'—Watch". Altertnative Press. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Godfrey, Gavin; Gotrich, Lars; Hight, Jewly; Lee, Christina; Lorusso, Marissa; Hilton, Robin (September 24, 2021). "New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Sept. 24 : All Songs Considered". NPR. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Raymer, Miles (October 27, 2021). "Poppy Flux Sumerian". Flood Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Hunt, El (September 23, 2021). "Poppy – 'Flux' review: determined, fun-filled and perception-defying alt-rock". NME. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Shutler, Ali (August 27, 2022). "Poppy debuts new song 'FYB' at Reading 2022". Dork. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e Garner, Shannon (September 24, 2021). "Poppy - Flux". Clash. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Sanders, Brad (September 28, 2021). "Poppy: Flux". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Dziri, Red (September 24, 2021). "Poppy proves to be unstoppable with Flux". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Schaffner, Lauryn (September 24, 2021). "Listen to Poppy's Punk Rock-Infused New Album 'Flux'". Loudwire. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Yeung, Neil Z. "I Disagree – Poppy". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  15. ^ Stremfel, Thomas (September 30, 2021). "Poppy: Flux". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (September 24, 2021). "Albums Of The Week: Poppy Flux". Tinnitist. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Flux by Poppy reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "'Flux' on Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (October 1, 2021). "Album Review: Poppy - Flux". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Swann, Emma (September 24, 2021). "Album Review Poppy - Flux". DIY. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Juergensen, Rhys (September 22, 2021). "Poppy Digs Into the Entire Rock Canon at Once on 'Flux'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Hickie, James (September 24, 2021). "Album review: Poppy – Flux". Kerrang!. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Brown, Paul (September 23, 2021). "Poppy – Flux (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Daly, Rhian (September 26, 2021). "Poppy – 'Flux' review: a raucous meditation on accepting uncertainty". The Forty-Five. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  25. ^ Madonna, A.Z.; Benbow, Julian; Garelick, Jon; Johnston, Maura; McDuffie, Candace; Munro, Stuart (December 10, 2021). "The 60 best albums of the year". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  26. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2021". Kerrang. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  27. ^ "The 108 best albums of 2021: 30-21". Riff Magazine. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  28. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  29. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  30. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  31. ^ "Top Current Album Sales - October 9th, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  32. ^ *CD: "Poppy - Flux - CD Digipak – Sumerian Merch". sumerianmerch.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  33. ^ "Poppy - Flux - Black & White Cornetto 12" Vinyl – Sumerian Merch". sumerianmerch.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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