Hot on the heels of the acclaimed singles Consent and Paint, artist-producer Rookes releases her remarkable collection of sharp pop gems - the POPNOTPOP album - on Wednesday 9th November 2022 on all platforms.
Forged across almost three years, the POPNOTPOP LP leads with the focus track Sweat; a pulsing, operatic disco that flexes Rookes’ formidable vocal talents to the max, weaving a tale of lost faith rediscovered on glitter-covered dance floors.
As promised in the YouTube series that accompanied the initial production of the record, the rest of the album unfolds all over the genre map. We tumble through swelling dark rock, adding hip-hop and deep R’n’B undertones before veering back into 2010s indie guitars, all masterfully layered with production techniques that play at the edges of contemporary sound-design.
Rookes’ influences are naturally just as diverse. Bad Code storms the kind of electro-bass build of Skrillex, PBB delivers a blend of Diana Ross paired with the vocal energy of Kimbra. The riff-ripped Pervertere, featuring Portuguese alt-pop Eurovision contender mema., has touches of early career Bloc Party and CTL - composed exclusively with manipulated vocal and piano samples - evokes later career Radiohead. Versailles catches a wave of Chvrches-infused EDM and the shimmering duet Tiptoe - written and performed with ethereal auteur Austel - hints at M83 and the darker compositions of Joy Williams.
A polished songwriter, Rookes has lyrically held nothing back. Even outside of the singles, the songs of POPNOTPOP ambitiously explore affecting topics, making them unexpectedly danceable and relatable.
“I have packed a lot in,” Rookes admits, “I’m singing about kink, misogyny, domestic violence, being in love with poor mental health, isolation, escape, societal wealth and queer sex. It’s not an exhaustive list, but a range of my experiences. In an age of avatars, I want people to start getting to grips again with the artist as a multifaceted being, not just a symbol.”