The Croaks Conjure Medieval Merriment With New Single “Poppy”

Photo by Renee Newman

Hear ye, hear ye! A medieval revival is underway, and The Croaks’ whimsical, folk-rock frolic “Poppy” will joust its way into your listening rotation and maybe onto your road trip playlist as you journey to the Renaissance Faire, hospitable castle keeps, and unexplored realms.

Bards Anna Reidister, Haley Wood, Alli Raina, and Denver Nuckolls hail from the kingdom of Boston, Massachusetts. “Poppy” follows The Croaks’ 2023 debut album Croakus Pokus, but the band has a lengthy lore. Founding members Reidister and Wood have collaborated under different aliases and lineups all the way back to the year of our Lord 2017. The Croaks’ current lineup was christened in 2022 when Wood and Reidister were joined by Nuckolls on drums and Raina on bass to round out their uncanny crooning.

“Poppy” follows The Croaks’ tradition of narrative songs inspired by characters, such as “The Court Jester” and “Lochness Lady.” In an interview with Allston Pudding, Reidister reveals the song is told from the perspective of a hog named Poppy. The lords “subjugate and devour, they feast while you starve,” while Poppy dreams of the freedom beyond a pigpen—“Like a hog in a trough after the slaughter’s off, all I am is what I give.” Power to the serfs, the peasants, those doomed to drudgery and despair! This song is decidedly anti-tyranny, so grab your pitchforks and torches.

The track’s lilting vocals against a jaunty rhythm punctuated by strings breaks into a frantic instrumental interlude with seagull-esque screeches. (Would we expect anything less from a band with an onomatopoeia namesake?) The anxious interlude subsides into the softness of bells and chimes, hopefully the sound of Poppy’s broken chains as she escapes to consume life instead of being consumed by it.

The accompanying “Poppy” music video is a medieval fever dream. On a seaside cliff, Reidister, Wood, and Raina are festooned in fantastical horned costumes. The creatures appease the tastes of a floating head in the sky played by Nuckolls who demands they brew a goblet of mystical brine. The creatures scurry to the shores and tide pools to gather ingredients, and after drinking the frothing potion, they transform into maidens in white dresses who grasp hands, dance in a circle, and fly into the air.

Bewitching, indeed! Let The Croaks put a spell on you by listening to “Poppy” here, and journey from far and wide to catch their upcoming tour dates.