Fka Twigs – EUSEXUA ( Album Review )

Twigs is one of the artists known for revolutionizing sound again and again. Whether it is her 2014 LP1 or 2019’s MAGDALENE, the mysterious, alien-like aesthetic of art-pop with her distinctive electronic touches remains unforgettable. If you’ve ever experienced one of Twigs’s projects, you know just how experimental, unforgettable, and right-to-your-face her sound is. As you might have guessed, her third studio album, EUSEXUA, is no exception.

After a six-year hiatus from her studio album life, Twigs reincarnates and gives us a taste of something absolutely new—making a strong shot at electronic dance-pop as a whole.

So, without further ado, let’s see what this English artist has in store for us.

EUSEXUA is probably one of the most bizarre things I have heard in a long time, with its weirdness and delicacy forming an absolutely hypnotic experience. It could also be explained by Twigs’s tendency to produce the majority of the songs on this record herself as the main producer. You can clearly see that in “Drums of Death,” where the bridge features that lush yet glitchy loop from “Lights On.” I believe this is actually not the only reference to “Lights On,” as in one of the next tracks like “Sticky,” where Twigs says:

“I tried to f*ck you with the lights on

In the hope you’d think I’m open and have a conversation”

It is really nice to see such references woven throughout the record, disguised by a layered and expansive soundscape on EUSEXUA.

After a couple of listens—namely 12—I still find myself struggling to fully assign EUSEXUA to one exact genre, as in the example of “Keep It, Hold It,” where Twigs swiftly switches up the mysteriousness to a hazy, dreamy dancehall vibe. Essentially, this is what EUSEXUA continuously achieves on this record with its brooding and off-kilter moments that seem chaotic yet are in line with everything happening here.

Some people, after “Perfect Stranger,” began to suspect that Twigs might be playing it safe now that the record is fully out. I must say that it is nowhere near safe. Examples like “Childlike Things,” with its playful and whimsical delivery and a quite off-guard North West feature, are some of the strongest examples of Twigs having fun and not simply “playing safe” or fully committing to a “surrealistic” feel.

This record feels extremely tactile and euphoric in both sound and intent; Twigs opens it up so easily yet so impactfully. The pulsating tension of the production, along with unexpected turns like in “Sticky” or the brooding and mesmerizing “Eusexua,” forms an artistic experience that is deeply satisfying. Some of the cuts also add dark tones, like the punchy, snarling beat on “Drums of Death” or the distant, haunting aesthetic of “Girl Feels Good.” Twigs presents such a high variety of sounds that you could describe them endlessly in terms of their intricacies and palpability.

Regarding her execution, her singing is simply exceptional. The poignant notes of her voice transition into cold, surrealistic chaos, giving you a mix of euphoric and mysterious vibes. FKA always adds a certain complexity to her sound and albums, and while you may get what you expect on one level, you also find yourself weaving through ethereal and sympathetic storytelling.

I would say that this record feels like the most well-produced of her three studio albums. While LP1 gives you that distorted, psychedelic feel in a similar way to MAGDALENE, EUSEXUA reinvents her signature style and adds another layer of artistic expressionism.

Score/Outstanding: EUSEXUA is a beautiful record; it is something I don’t usually find in today’s music scene. The mixture of a crazy tactile soundscape puts Twigs among the most creative artists out there. I absolutely love every single part of this record, and the more I listen to it, the better it gets. At first, I was quite shocked by some of the twists throughout the album, but now I feel like I finally understand it. Awesome record.

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