FKA Twigs – ‘Eusexua’ album review: a sensual odyssey through vulnerability and playfulness
THE SKINNY: For art-pop fans with a penchant for rave-ready instrumentation and refreshingly honest lyricism, FKA Twigs has been a cult favourite since the release of her debut album, LP1. Listeners have thus been eagerly awaiting Eusexua, her third LP following Magdalene, various EPs, and a mixtape, Caprisongs. The artist has been teasing the record for a while now, but finally, it’s here, packed full of some of Twigs’ finest work to date.
Eusexua embodies feelings of playful sensuality, mystery, hedonism, and coming to terms with oneself. Twigs is vulnerable, singing about being submissive (“I’m a dog for you”) or struggling to navigate the muddy waters of love and relationships (“Come on/ Say something nice to me”). Moreover, she perfectly articulates the experience of feeling unsatisfied, of wanting to feel something different, to be understood properly: “My body aches to be known/ To be expressive in itself/ I want to forgive myself/ I want to release myself from the pain I have inside.” These lyrics, alongside many others, will almost certainly resonate with a wide scope of listeners.
There is a blend of influences here, from trance and techno to experimental pop artists like Björk and Sophie, allowing a cohesive and fully-formed palette to emerge. It’s self-assured, even in its most sensitive moments, and the mixture of synthetic sounds and Twigs’ serene, angelic vocals serves to create a dichotomy of emotions that captures every dimension of the album’s lyrical themes. There’s plenty of vulnerability at play, but there’s also an emphasis on making it through the pain, finding solace and release in dancing, and surrendering yourself to your natural, most childlike impulses.
On ‘Drums of Death’, Twigs’ voice is often buried underneath harsh yet addictive glitching sounds, but sometimes a particular line will emerge, like “Relax and ease your mind/ Cause you work so much/ Hello/ it’s your life,” reminding the listener to soak up the pulsating rhythms and simply give in. There’s pure pop brilliance to be found on the simple yet sexy ‘Perfect Stranger’, while playfulness is encouraged tenfold on ‘Childlike Things’.
There are certainly some weaker moments, however, like the last track, ‘Wanderlust’, which might have worked better as a bonus song rather than the album’s closing number. Still, there is no song on here that is bad by any means; Eusexua is a daring, artful, and incredibly well-crafted album that reflects Twigs’ ability to present meaningful lyricism alongside soundscapes that could also stand alone as incredible instrumental pieces.
For fans of: Spending half your nights out engaging in deep and far too personal conversations with strangers in the smoking area.
A concluding comment from someone chronically offline: “What the fuck does Eusexua mean?”
Eusexua track by track:
Release Date: January 24th | Producer: FKA Twigs, Marius de Vries, Stargate, Koreless, Eartheater, Ojivolta | Label: Atlantic Records/Young Recordings
‘Eusexua’: Opening the album is the ethereal title number, which showcases Twigs’ smooth and intimate vocals while a heavy thumping beat pounds in the background, ready to explode in the latter half of the song. It sounds like the soundtrack to a rave in a mermaid cave, where sensuality and mystery prevail. [4/5]
‘Girl Feels Good’: With an artificially manipulated voice, Twigs sings of men and women like a robot gracing us with vital human knowledge. The musician then ditches these effects to tell us, “When a girl feels good/ It makes the world go ’round”, as layers of electronics, at times a little Massive Attack-esque, create an enthralling soundscape. [4/5]
‘Perfect Stranger’: FKA Twigs might have just mastered the perfect slice of accessible yet creative electronic pop with ‘Perfect Stranger’. Painting an exciting encounter with someone you “know nothing” about, the singer advocates for spending the night with a person who is, at least to you, uncomplicated. “I don’t know your friends or your ex’s name/ Who left who or who took the blame/ I don’t know, and I don’t care,” she sings. It’s evocative and sexy, ending with a club-ready section that feels designed to accompany your next late-night rendezvous. [4/5]
‘Drums of Death’: After some speaker-shattering beats open up the song with an innate sense of domination, the glitching electronics that follow envelope the listener as Twigs delivers a modern manifesto: “Feel hot/ Feel hard/ Feel heavy/ Fuck who you want.” Cutting through the masterfully crafted glitches, these words feel like a mantra, drawing the listener into a world of letting go and having fun. [4.5/5]
‘Room of Fools’: There’s an urgency to Twigs’ voice as she sings the titular words while a thick beat revs up and threatens to carry the listener away from wherever they are and onto the dancefloor. Here, Twigs revels in her ability to “Be whoever I please,” offering up a celebration of feeling free. [4/5]
‘Sticky’: The album takes a mellow turn here, allowing the singer to become more vulnerable over a piano-led instrumental palette. However, this is Eusexua, so the song isn’t without glitches of unsteady synthetics that swell into a fuller atmosphere. Then, it breaks down into abrasive electronic chaos that feels like a great release of repressed energy and emotion. [4/5]
‘Keep It, Hold It’: Here, Twigs struggles with the pressures of performance, of being seen and simply existing correctly. “What have I got to do?” she repeats before the album’s trance influence comes in at full force as she encourages us to sink into the song’s vast layers. [3.5/5]
‘Childlike Things’: Perhaps the most divisive song on the album, ‘Childlike Things’ sees Twigs tap into her most playful desires, singing with less inhibition before indulging in a “dun dun dun” refrain that will certainly annoy some listeners. Others will love it, although it’s hard to decide what to make of an unexpected feature from 11-year-old North West singing in Japanese. [3/5]
‘Striptease’: Like the name, the song takes a more sensual and suggestive approach, using ambient sounds alongside intersecting beats as Twigs delivers lines like “Late nights, my sternum stretched wide/ Opening me feels like a striptease.” Her vocals during the chorus, however, are more experimental, again seeing Twigs use less restraint and lean into her most innate impulses. [3.5/5]
‘24hr Dog’: Submission and control are explored through the album’s penultimate song, which uses these themes to communicate how relationships can affect and influence our psyches. “Your love chores distract me from my worst flaws/ Setting free/ The softest part of me/Gets dangerous sometimes,” she sings. [3.5/5]
‘Wanderlust’: It can’t be denied that ‘Wanderlust’ is the weakest song on the album, starting with confronting yet downtempo vocals that feel out of place with the rest of the record. Emotional and honest, the song unfortunately falls victim to several clichéd choices (songs featuring the word ‘wanderlust’ usually do), even though it’s certainly well-meaning. “You’ve one life to live, do it freely/ It’s your choice to break or believe in it. I’ll be in my head if you need me,” Twigs tells us, but you can’t help but feel desperate for something more. [3/5]
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