“Don’t try to tell me it’s as good as it’s gonna get,” shapeshifting vocalist Poppy sings on “Bruised Sky”, one of the many tracks on her seventh album that see her see-sawing from nu-metal chug to ethereal electronics. Produced by Jordan Fish (Bring Me The Horizon, BABYMETAL), who worked on Poppy’s 2024 album Negative Spaces, Empty Hands seems poised to take one of modern music’s most successful Jekyll & Hyde acts to the next level. Lead single “Unravel” bubbles with anticipation and a misleading piano downturn before exploding into a huge chorus. Similarly, “Guardian” swings with a Korn-style groove before going full anthem with Poppy’s soaring promise: “You’re in my every breath/I’ll give you all that I have left/I’ll be your guardian.”