Popaganda is the second studio album by American rock band Head Automatica, released on June 6, 2006 through Warner Bros. Records.

While touring in support of their debut studio album Decadence (2004), frontman Daryl Palumbo's Crohn's disease saw the cancellation of some shows throughout 2004 and 2005.

"Graduation Day" was released to radio in June 2006, which coincided with a support slot for Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves.

They then embarked on a US tour with Rock Kills Kid and Men, Women & Children, following which, "Lying Through Your Teeth" was released to radio in October 2006.

[9] In the midst of this, the band released to two covers, "Jackie Wilson Said" (1972) by Van Morrison and So It Goes" (1976) by Nick Lowe, to tide fans over until the album was finished.

[10] Mike Plotnikoff acted as engineer, and mixed "Laughing at You", "Nowhere Fast", "God", "Shot in the Back (The Platypus)", "She's Not It", "Egyptian Musk", "Cannibal Girl", and "K Horse" at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California, with assistance from Ian Suddarth.

Chris Lord-Alge mixed "Graduation Day", "Lying Through Your Teeth", "Scandalous", "Curious", and Million Dollar Decision", with assistant engineer Hatsukazu Inagaki.

[2] Keyboardist Jessie Nelson said it was inspired by pop musicians such as Costello, Mike and the Mechanics and Steve Winwood, alongside duos Cassius and the Rondo Brothers.

[14] AllMusic reviewer Corey Apar said the band retained the "post-punk dance attitude", though its "filtered this time through late-'70s pop influences" instead of "back-alley beats and electro-rock fuzz" that their previous collaborate Dan the Automator favored.

[18] The album's opening track, "Graduation Day" starts with guitar and piano parts which build into a pop song, akin to the material on early Costello releases.

On April 4, a digital-only EP was released, titled Pop Rocks, it features the previously-released "Graduation Day" and "Laughing at You", as well as new songs "Nowhere Fast" and "God".

[25] In April, the band supported Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria on their co-headlining tour of the US, but were unable to appear at some of the shows due to Palumbo's illness.

[42] Alternative Press reported that he had been kicked out, with Gorman explaining that it was mostly in part to "the fact that the relationship between Daryl and I has slowly been deteriorating over the last couple of years.

[15] Jeff Vrabel of Billboard noted that the album wears its big aspirations on its sequined sleeve", stating that it "drags in its second half and [while] Palumbo’s voice is certainly an acquired taste, his hooks hit more than they miss".

[48] Melodic staff writer Kaj Roth considered it an improvement over Decadence, saying that fans of that album would "find lots of future fave songs" on Popaganda.

[47] The staff at Ultimate Guitar praised the album for is variety of musical styles, saying it "appeared sounding organic with perky tracks and infectious melodies".

[49] The staff at Chart Attack lambasted it, stating that "between Palumbo's annoyingly affected vocals and the album's scarcity of catchy hooks, most of Popaganda feels thin, flat and desperately fun-free".