Poppy H Interview: “I’m very much all or nothing”

Poppy H is the latest U.K. producer opening up new portals which lead to intriguing sound worlds.

With the growing number of environment-inspired artists cross-pollinating these ideas with sound design, the Suffolk-based producer is the architect of the kind of sonic streetscapes that echo civic vitality.

The producer released their debut album NOTHING IS PERFECT, EVERYTHING IS PERFECT in September last year, with Return to Version Stone following it a month later. There has been no let-up since the turn of the year, with the long-form cut These New Unwinding Dawns Will Be the Beginning and End of Us eventually leading into the latest chapter and Poppy H’s Cruel Nature debut, Grave Era.

If The Caretaker and Thom Yorke ever got in a room to thrash out ideas using Labradford as a muse, then it may have resulted in something likened to Grave Era. An album filled with wiry juxtapositions and various shades of tone, Grave Era is seamless yet fractured. Defiant yet melancholy. It’s one of those records that gracefully moves through phases.

While Poppy H creates the kind of loner sonics for dark rooms, beneath the surface, there’s far more to these compositions. The best results can be garnered by taking Grave Era out into the world, namely into open spaces in a bid to mirror the civic vitality it lends itself to.

In the lead-up to the release of Grave Era, we had asked Poppy H some questions about their creative process, politics, and what the future holds for the project.

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S13: You’ve released so much new music in such a short space of time. Has it been a creative purple patch for you or have these releases been in the can for a while?

Poppy H: “I am fairly obsessive and relentless in everything I put my mind to – and none more so than when it comes to discovering, listening to and recording new music. I’m very much all or nothing. So, the level of output is true to form really – and something that amuses my mates no end. The debut album was recorded in about a month and half from start to release in October 2023, then I immediately began work on Grave Era. As soon as that record was kindly taken up by Steve [Strode] at Cruel Nature, I was back recording again and have another album good to go as we speak. That said, maybe I am in a particularly decent period of inspiration and creativity currently and I’m inspired currently by so many different artists across genres.”

S13: While you’re immersed in experimentalism, each release is totally different from the last. Is that the aim with this project?

PH: “To be honest, there wasn’t an overarching aim when I set out releasing music, other than to go with what I’m feeling and thinking in the moment from record to record. The majority of my music is born out of improvisation so it’s hard to plan ahead too much in terms of sound. But Grave Era specifically was very focused in its underlying aims and meaning. I agree that it is different to the last album, and I sort of battle with myself a bit on that – should I be more consistent in my sound? Ultimately, I conclude that I have 101 different moods across any one recording process so ride that wave and see what comes out.”

S13: I get a sense that life itself and your surroundings are a bigger influence than any musical or artistic influence. Would that be fair to say?

PH: “I do draw so much inspiration from my surroundings – be it my love/hate relationship with London, where I was born and still work one or two days a week, or the countryside where we now live. It’s a privilege to have the best of both worlds. I am also hugely inspired by the Peak District – I took the photo of the Grave Era cover in the Peaks in October. Me and mates go to New Mills there every year and make an immediate beeline for the amazing High Street Books and Records – a haven for life’s good stuff.

“However, musical influences are massive for me. I’m endlessly seeking new and old music across no end of genres, and what a time to be alive. Niecy Blues, Daniel Bachman, Roy Montgomery & Friends, Iceboy Violet, Tujiko Noriko, Rainy Miller, Colin Stetson, etc. are just a few that have inspired me of late.”

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S13: Speaking of surroundings, I read that you travel around the country and record in different places. How much do you see locality as a key aspect to your works?

PH: “Yeah, on Grave Era I was all over the place really (in every sense). My field recording sessions took in a solo wander around London at night, the east coast of England, construction sites, train stations and a few coffee shops – I became a little obsessed with capturing sound in the latter. For me, field recording on a phone without an external mic is the most direct and instant way of working with sound – it can also be the most powerful and rewarding.”

S13: Can you tell us about the process behind Grave Era?

PH: “Grave Era is made up of improvised and composed music and field recordings – all sound was captured on an openly recording phone and mixed and mastered on the same device. At times I’m running/ playing/ recording several instruments at once – kind of replicating a live gig scenario. Sometimes I was setting music to field recordings and sometimes the other way round. It’s a mostly electronic album but I also gave some of my acoustic instruments to hand a bit of a run out.”

S13: What were the main objectives you wanted to achieve with the record?

PH: “A global Number One album – nothing less will do at this stage. Nah, musically, I just wanted to free myself of the notion that I had to write ‘songs’. I love a good traditional song but expressing myself through purer experimental music, with hardly any vocals, has opened me up to a whole new world of opportunities and a community of artists, writers, mags, DJs, labels etc – including so many good and supportive people. Working in this way has been challenging and, doubtless, makes for more of a challenging listen but you’ve got to follow your nose.”

S13: There’s so much going on in Grave Era, and I think that’s why it’s your finest yet. It’s a wonderful headphones listen where you’re always picking up something new. How difficult was it to mix?

PH: “Thank you – I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it on headphones. Mixing entirely on my phone can be, without exaggeration, a fucking nightmare. The app I use to record and mix on on my phone is so limiting: not being able to fade individual tracks in and out is one of many issues that I have. But I’ve gradually embraced this very lo-fi way of working and it has forced me to get creative in ways I would never have considered. Add to all that the fact that I mix most of my tunes while on walks with my crazy dog – that makes for a whole different level of difficulty.”

S13: Along with locality, I also get the feeling that politics and consumerism play a key role in this release. Would you agree?

PH: “Completely. I’m sure I’m not alone in having been entirely ground down by our racist and incompetent Government – and those in other countries, to varying degrees of death, destruction and a systematic dismantling of human rights and cultural spaces. So, I was exploring that through the album really. As well as my own conflict with class.

“I’m from a working-class background, but I feel like a total fucking fraud when I’m swanning about London in and out of cafes that charge the earth for average coffee served by underpaid staff who live in overpriced flats full of mould and owned by heartless landlords who are protected by the system. You know, that sort of thing. People have been so worn down that there is this creeping and dangerous indifference toward shit going on here and even graver shit going on elsewhere. I’m just as guilty – so I’m challenging that and saying wake the fuck up.”

S13: Although it’s difficult with all the conflict in the world at the moment, do you consider yourself an optimistic person?

PH: “Ha! Well, in spite of what I just said – yes! I try to be, and I have a lot to be thankful and optimistic about. You’ve got know when you’re onto a good thing and privileged in your own way. I am not too much of a cynic and I try my best not to bring anyone else down when I am down.”

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S13: While a lot of the music you create is based on field recordings, do you still need a clear idea before setting out to make an album?

PH: “Musically, I didn’t have a clear idea with NOTHING IS PERFECT or Grave Era – with those records I mainly went with the flow and with what I was feeling and playing at the time. But, as a little tease, there are no field recordings on my next album – apart from accidental background noise – and I very much set out with a clear vibe and record in mind, which has made for perhaps the most consistent record I’ve made so far.”

S13: Do you have any aspiration to play live?

PH: “I really do, but the way I work is shamefully quite disposable. Like I said before, I’m always quickly onto the next thing and the next thing. I need to keep moving and keep getting my head into new things. I haven’t listened once to the debut album since it came out in October, so the idea of playing something from it live almost feels like being visited by a ghost or an old mate I sort of fell out with. That said, I see all these amazing artists performing their recorded music live and I really am envious and happy for them. Maybe some day I’ll be organised enough to make note of what and how I’m recording stuff – settings, sounds etc. – and be able to replicate it live but I think it’s more likely I’ll be doing improvised sets if I could work out what gear I need, and anyone wanted to put it on of course.

“For now, I’ll be releasing an album every few months and hoping I’m lucky enough that some people want to keep listening to my stuff.”

Grave Era is out now via Cruel Nature Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.