Review Summary: Trust the process.
I have to admit I was initially a bit worried for
EUSEXUA. Its eponymous lead single, while undoubtedly a gorgeous melding of art pop and trance, didn’t hit quite as hard as previous leads “Two Weeks” and “Cellophane”. Perhaps FKA twigs set her own bar too high, but stripped of the impact of its stunning music video (seriously, watch it if you haven’t yet, and then watch it again), it felt somehow emptier. Gorgeous and glittering, but lacking warmth or depth.
The following good-but-not-amazing singles, “Perfect Strangers” and “Drums Of Death”, painted a disconnected picture of the upcoming album, jolting from radio-friendly(ish) alt-R&B to chopped up glitch pop. But, like I said before, trust the process. Think back to 2019’s
MAGDALENE, and how its scattershot singles “Holy Terrain” and “Sad Day” left fans initially puzzled, but eventually they pieced together within an entrancing and somehow cohesive final package.
EUSEXUA is no different, and twigs is now three for three in releasing albums that are artistic triumphs. I should have known not to doubt her.
She pulls from her influences in a way that honours and elevates – “Girl Feels Good” has an instantly striking synth motif reminiscent of late 90s trip-pop anthems “Ray Of Light” by Madonna, “Did It Again” by Kylie and especially “Pure Shores” by All Saints. On an album with a sonic palette that feels very deconstructed 2030s club, it’s a nod to the future-thinking alt-pop pioneers of decades past, and it’s not the only one. “Hyperballad” by Björk is drawn to reference in the maximalist chaos of “Room Of Fools”, and in the powerful, borderline-unhinged vocal delivery during the breakdown of “Keep It, Hold It” – it’s so satisfying to hear twigs really go for it.
She also references herself, as if to prove that while she may get compared to Björk and Kate Bush, there is only one FKA twigs. “Sticky” and the first half of “Striptease” are the biggest throwbacks to her earlier sound – that unique brand of sensual, slithery, alternative R&B, which is perhaps where she excels most. The former even calls back to
LP1’s “Lights On” in its lyrics: “I'm tired of messing up my life with overcomplicated moments and sticky situations / I tried to *** you with the lights on In the hope you'd think I'm open and have a conversation.”
As FKA twigs described to Vogue, to experience “Eusexua” is to transcend human form via euphoria, and she has released the perfect album to guide you through that exact process.
EUSEXUA sees the future, past, and present combine to birth a unique sound that, if maybe not quite perfect, is ultimately timeless and peerless.
