Mon. Feb 17th, 2025

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Album Review: FKA Twigs – EUSEXUA

3 min read

Starting out as a back-up dancer for acts such as Jessie J, Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue, FKA Twigs made a splash with her debut album LP1 which was described as “genre-bending”, redefining the electropop genre. Her follow-up album Magdalene took a different route moving from pop to hip hop to folk with an all-encompassing feeling of deep heartbreak and tragedy. An atmosphere she said was influenced by her high-profile break-up with actor Robert Pattison. EUSEXUA marks her first album in five years and follows a short acting stint in 2024’s The Crow. The album moves back to her electropop roots with club-ready tracks and intriguing production.

The album opens with the title track EUSEXUA . Twigs leans closer to Magdalene as the song starts, with dreamy vocals and echoing production. But as the song progresses so does the drumline culminating in a pulsing dance beat. The song’s transition from a melancholy ballad to an electropop dance also marks a change in Twig’s direction as she moves from the heartbroken styling of Magdalene into a more upbeat pop style. The two songs following EUSEXUA are both lighter pop numbers. The first Girl Feels Good, has a wildly catchy chorus and infectious lyrics with Twigs singing that “when a girl feels good it makes the world go round”. The second Perfect Stranger is one of the tracks released as a single. The dance beat and light tune soundtrack the lyrics of a one-night stand with a stranger. Twigs sings “I’d rather know nothing than the lies” suggesting that beneath the glossy fast-passed exterior there is still a twinge of heartbreak.

The second single Drums of Death (feat Koreless) on the surface seems to be another dance beat electropop track. The lyrics become increasingly dark as the song progresses with Twigs singing “devour the entire world” and chanting “Do it do it do it just for fun”. The song’s production too becomes increasingly overwhelming and dystopian. The track is the complete opposite of the one other with a featured artist Childlike Things featuring Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s eleven-year-old daughter North West. The song opens with the two singing “dun dun dun” almost sounding like a nursery rhyme. The lyrics are childish as Twigs boasts “I’ve got supersonic powers” sounding like a child playing make-believe. North West also features singing verses in Japanese. The ultimate result is maybe the most confusing song on the album, it is certainly catchy but subtly strange too.

While EUSEXUA  is full of catchy electropop dance tracks, there are a few songs that lean closer to the introspective style of Magdalene. Sticky is a stand-out with dreamlike vocals and stripped-back piano backing, as Twigs sings “I want to be loved”. The production is unique with the track screeching to a halt midway, sounding like a stuck record. This repeats throughout the song pausing and retreating. The most pondorous song however is the final track Wanderlust. It opens with a heartfelt examination of the effects of criticism, and feeling too much in her head. Twigs seems melancholy as she sings about depression “If I don’t wake up Monday morning I’ll make it up to you babe”. The track ends on a moving note, fading out on the line “I’ll be in my head if you need me”. It’s a fantastic final song that brings the electropop bubble of the album crashing down, showing clearly the undercurrent of sadness beneath it.

As an album EUSEXUA is a great example of Twig’s ability to create music that is both fun and explorative, unlike anything else in the mainstream. Tracks such as Girl Feels  Good and Perfect Stranger seem destined to become electropop classics, while others like Wanderlust demonstrate her talent for creating heart-breaking tracks. While some such as Childish Things slightly miss the mark no song on the album can be called forgettable. With EUSEXUA FKA Twigs show her wide range and demonstrates that she is one of this generation’s most innovative artists.