Poppy performs at UC Theatre in Berkeley on March 8, 2022. Chloe Catajan/STAFF.

Alt-rock shapeshifter Poppy returns with Stagger, the follow-up to 2021’s Flux and the singer’s first release on her new label.

Musically, the four-song set feels like a natural evolution from Flux, which was a pretty sharp departure from 2020’s I Disagree. What is different this time around is the lyricism, which feels far more direct and personal than in the past. That makes the tracks more relatable.

Artist Moriah Rose Pereira debuted lead single “FYB” at the U.K.’s Reading Festival. It’s an unapologetic track and an unrelenting battle cry. Poppy minces no words against a cheating former lover, lobbing a direct lyrical attack that leaves little to the imagine.

“I figured you out/ And I know what you’re about/ You’re sticking it out/ So your dick’s in her mouth,” she sings.

The personal touch is a welcome change for an artist who’s played mysterious characters in the past. These songs give a clearer picture into just who Pereira is as a person. Musically, it’s the genre-mashing anthem listeners have come to expect, fusing hard rock, metal, punk and atmospheric alt-pop in a stew that clocks in at a little over 100 seconds.

“Pocket” starts as a bass-heavy slow burn over a distant percussive loop before exploding into a lo-fi fist-pumping punk rock anthem. The urgency of the song continues to rise, Poppy letting out her frustration in a scream, the pain of betrayal and a broken relationship remaining the common denominator throughout the EP.

“You said, hurting me would be sacrilege/ But that didn’t stop you, now in the end,” she sings.

The defiant rallying cry reaches its crescendo on “Shapes,” about standing your ground and being who you want rather than being molded by someone else.

“You put me into spaces to fit/ If I stand my ground, call me a bitch,” Poppy sings, acknowledging she’s a work in progress but declaring that the form she takes next will be on her terms and no one else’s. It’s a recurring theme that seems to apply both to Poppy’s music as well as her own personal life.

Stagger ends with its only mid-tempo song, the title track. The synth-heavy alt-pop tune turns Poppy’s focus inward, offering a more introspective insight without the rage of the preceding songs.

“A crisis without a cause/ Faith put in a false God/ A misstep of emoting/ I’m just trying to get where I’m going,” Poppy sings.

Stagger may only offer a fleeting glimpse of what’s to come, but there’s a lot to be encouraged by on this release. This lyrical growth is a sign that while she may be musically unpredictable, she’s fast become more self-assured as an artist.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.