When listening to London pop-artist FKA Twigs’ newest record, “EUSEXUA,” you start to feel it. “It” can mean a variety of things when you talk about Twigs’ music: the trance-like grooves of her electronic production, the angelic yet human vocal performance or even her hold on pop music fans.
However, when reflecting on what makes Twigs a truly once-in-a-generation pop artist — proved on records like “LP1” and “Magdalene” — her grand vision becomes more and more blurry.
Over the course of several interviews, reading numerous social media posts from Twigs and listening to the album in-full — more than a few times — I’ve come to the conclusion that “EUSEXUA” is not really meant to be specifically defined as anything.
Twigs’ answers that she has given during interviews with NPR and Vogue have been consistent in their language surrounding the album, but have not entirely convinced me that she herself knows what the album’s title means.
Arguably, in her interview with fellow pop artist Imogen Heap, Twigs is the most articulate about what exactly “EUSEXUA” is:
“And I think ‘eusexua’ — as a concept — is so incredibly dangerous, ‘cause once I think the human race realizes they can constantly be on the path to ‘eusexua,’ everything kind of dismantles,” Twigs said in that interview with Imogen Heap.
I encourage everyone reading this to listen to that interview in full — as well as the other ones from NPR and Vogue — in order to get a fuller picture about why this album is such a puzzle.
I digress though, let’s talk about the music itself. The meat and potatoes of the record, the drum and bass, the highs and lows. Once you look at the record from a non-lyrical standpoint you start to realize that there are a ton of interesting electronic influences and instrumental moments that make you say, “Damn, this is beautiful.”
The subtle ambient-electronic moments in “24hr Dog,” the drum and bass break in “Striptease,” the dramatic bass hits in “Drums of Death” and even the self-titled track’s whizzing trance-beat. Not everyone is going to get all of the understated production and the references to underground and classic electronic moments, but for better or for worse, these choices are the best part of the record.
Twigs’ musical evolution through her production progression is one of music’s best stories in the last 10 years. Her two EPs in 2012 and 2013, as well as her debut in 2014, “LP1,” are more-so lyrical and vocal marvels rather than her later records. “Caprisongs,” released in 2022 along with her latest release, “EUSEXUA,” lean on more lyrical clichés and vocal uniformity, but are made up for in their electronic influences. In 2019, Twigs put out “Magdalene” — which effortlessly blends all the previous elements discussed.
The production is there, but let’s address the elephant in the room that I have pointed out: the lyrics. To do this, I’ll pull a few excerpts from the songs I previously praised for their production.
“24hr Dog” plays a lot with the metaphor of Twigs being a dog, contorting herself to be something she is not. It does a good job with playing with the themes of the record she set out to convey, but she does not provide a counter for this idea. The idea perforates throughout the entire track and is left ultimately unchallenged.
“Striptease,” operates the same way: “Opening me feels like a striptease/Silk for my tears, and lace for my fears/I’m stripping my heart, till my pain disappears/Opening me.” The same beats are hit and left unchallenged. The lyrical elements of this track in particular are lost on me.
The final straw though, are the absurdities of one track in particular: “Childlike Things.” A track which features Ye’s (formally known as Kanye West) daughter, North West. Her guest rap-verse is all in Japanese and conceptually ridiculous. It is also a testament to how much Ye’s mind has been warped by celebrity and fringe politics — it is sad that he is pushing his daughter on the same path. It’s out of place, it does not make sense and it’s off-putting, frankly.
“Hello/My name is North-chan/From California to Tokyo/Jesus, the King (Ah-ah)/Praise the Lord (Ah-ah)/Jesus is the one and only true God (You need to know),” West sings (translated to English).
I do not get the ideas of “EUSEXUA.” The confusing spider-web of lyrical contradiction, a merciless PR-psyop, the seemingly sincere intentions by Twigs and even then, I absolutely know and loathe what the response to this vapid album will be: praise. So, hell, what ground do I have to stand on?
