FKA Twigs - EUSEXUA
Electronic– Released January 24, 2025 – 11 songs, 43 mins
ROZ
This week TSR takes a look at musician FKA Twigs and her third studio album EUSEXUA. At a glance, the album showcases the upwards trend of electronic musics presence within the mainstream (a trend that I have been pleasantly enjoying from a personal standpoint). It is, however, unlike any album I have heard before in terms of sonic diversity – the sheer amount ground it’s trying to cover in it’s standard 43-minute run time. As a lover of ambitious efforts myself, I settle in and get to work.
In an interview leading up to the release of EUSEXUA, FKA mentioned that she lived for a time in Central Europe – Prague, Czechia specifically – which had a profound impact on her and served as the biggest influence on the album. This connection clicked with me instantly as the rave-inspired soundscapes started piling on; techno, drum and bass, UK garage, IDM, and of course house music. I found my senses completely bombarded with various textures, tones and tempo’s to a level that, if executed improperly, it would no doubt be brushed off as a convoluted mashup of noise. It’s what EUSEXUA so impressive and must be the result of the team that FKA has surrounded herself with. 28 musicians, 10 producers, and 15 technical staff in the studio – as far as the great big pop music machine goes, this is almost as well-oiled as it gets.
FKA is herself interwoven in all ways, and you can find her credit in just about every category I mentioned above; this ensures that the end-product is truly an amalgamation of her own personal taste, feelings and emotions. Much like the two words that make up the portmanteau of the albums title, EUSEXUA finds itself filled with a primal intensity through both its lyricism and its soundscapes. Longtime collaborator Lewis Roberts, otherwise known as Koreless, owns a lead credits on every single song throughout the album, which to me show that FKA fully entrusted him in shaping her vision. Clearly his pairing with FKA Twigs has been a successful one, not only commercially but also creatively – the level of cohesion between both artists can be felt at the highest level all throughout the entire record.
The sheen on the production side is a major standout on EUSEXUA, with dozens of unique tones and timbres being present throughout. An amalgamation of FKA’s experiences during her residence in Prague, herself immersed in the underground rave scene, is perfectly encapsulated, dialed in and exported out by the talents of her team. Titular track EUSEXUA starts you off with a techno-inspired arrangement driven by darker chord progressions. Girl Feels Good pivots into a very 90’s industrial, downtempo sound that feels suited to be playing as the credits roll on an old Matrix movie. Perfect Stranger finds itself the most “pop” of the bunch, with offbeat bass patterns being lightly garnished with UK garage-style drums to compliment FKA’s futuristic vocal style. Most impressive form a production standpoint is Drums of Death and it’s use of beat repeat effect, pounding drum arrangements and vocal slicing to as absurd to a degree (as one can go while also sounding musical). Koreless really flexes his muscles on this one, and FKA allows him this ability by sitting further back in the spotlight as any respectful collaborator would.
Each track continues to jump from one electronic sub-genre to the next, stopping only for a moment to catch a breath before moving on. Room of Fools speeds up into a hyper-pop style while Sticky slows down so that FKA can be given the space to nail her beautifully vulnerable delivery. Childlike Things features Kanye West’s very own daughter, North West, and is by far the most “what the hell” moment on the album. While the concept and star-power justify its existence among the others, I can definitely see it causing listeners to scratch their heads. Striptease proves it’s one of the most polished songs of the bunch, showcasing much more hip hop-infused elements compared to the rest of the songs across the board. it comes servcd with a DnB-laced breakdown and a Dune-esque vocal layer to close the track out, because why the hell not. The lyrics of EUSEXUA match the overall tone of each song, with topics varying slightly but mainly focusing on the artists sexual urges and self-empowerment. This album almost gives you the urge to enjoy a long drag of a cigarette after finishing it.
My favourite part about the TSR process is when I can personally connect to the artist via shared experience. It happened not so long ago when we reviewed MJ Lenderman’s album, where I found myself lost while reflecting on a beautiful drive I took through the back roads of New York state. This album brought upon a very similar (yet also vastly different) nostalgia trip for me as I looked back on my own personal trips throughout Europe, sauntering alone through those smoky underground raves myself. EUSEXUA really does feel as though it captures the magic of those experiences, and to me that’s what gives it its merit. FKA Twigs pushes the boundaries of her sound while also offering an intimate look into her mind. Her immense talent fused with such complex yet musical productions gives EUSEXUA the potential to be one of the best albums of 2025.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Track: Sticky
LUNDI
TSR didn’t find the opportune time to write about 2024’s generational pop album brat but we certainly established our enjoyment as evidenced in our year end praise for Chali xcx. In adding FKA Twigs to the review docket this week, it’s been hard not to reflect on the century’s best pop album as seemingly every blog and Reddit post about EUSEXUA utters both records in the same breath. Now to me there’s a lot more similarities in the artists themselves than these two dance pop efforts, but the comparisons are certainly not unfounded. Still generational means once in a generation, not every six months. How close does Twigs come though? Let’s break it down.
The standout of EUSEXUA is an insane array of musical styles that are artistically woven to feel fresh. It’s easy to tell this record is crafted by a handful of different producers, but what can ruin many albums, Twigs controls flawlessly through her innate avant pop musical vision. Despite ranging from electro pop to house to techno grime, the philosophy remains the same. Albums like this make you realize that some artists are just special. The beat progressions feel transformative through a mixture of tonal and pacing shifts while synth and drum patterns fill the air with frequent changes both in song and across the album. The team behind EUSEXUA has simply produced one of the most memorable musical soundscapes in TSR history. Twigs is just built different.
Despite a clear and frequent use of autotune across the album, the vocal performance is also outstanding. Twigs has a very powerful voice as evidenced by closing track Wanderlust yet her artistic choice is to pitch correct her performance to varying degrees depending on the style of song being crafted. I would love to hear a deconstructed vocal from the album as Twigs puts on a subtle yet spectacular performance. She never seeks to overpower any track but perfectly amplify the experience. Sometimes less is more and realizing that is a trait many lack.
Adding to the subtleness is Twigs’ love to cloud herself and subsequent personal life in mystery which is as evident as ever on EUSEXUA. The album is hazy, horny, dark and mysterious developing a thematic approach that could be cheekily summed up as sexualized stranger danger or more profoundly the fear that comes with opening yourself up to the unknown person. On most tracks the lyrics work but they do veer too far towards generalized tropes on occasion. It’s more likely this issue is formed through a combination of numerous listens and my desire for profound lyricism so she mostly gets a lyrical pass.
The glaring issue that can’t be passed up though is the inclusion of song Childlike Things. Lyrics wrote by Twigs as a child accompanied by Kanye’s daughter North singing Japanese feels so wrong in the context of this album and brings a halt to all the momentum built in the first half. It also negatively impacts the surrounding tracks and I’m just not sure how this song didn’t get left on the cutting floor. Even on listen number one, it just feels wrong. Still it’s the one significant artistic misstep in an otherwise fantastic album.
EUSEXUA is raw, varied, and downright weird. Exploring a myriad of styles while remaining cohesive is a challenge that FKA Twigs executes flawlessly. A supremely exotic and enjoyable sonic experience.
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
Favourite Track: EUSEXUA
REID
Next up for TSR is the third studio album from alternative pop star, FKA Twigs. Although I’ve often seen her name on festival posters over the last decade, this is my first listening experience with the thirty-seven-year-old singer, songwriter and dancer. Tahliah Barnett hails from Cheltenham, England and made her debut in 2012 with EP1, followed by her first studio album in 2014 with LP1. Her work has garnered widespread critical acclaim and she’s developed a cult-like fan following with her genre bending style. My lack of prior knowledge of this artist paired with her outside-the-box creative approach made this one particularly challenging. However as the listens piled up, her artistry slowly won me over.
First thing’s first. What is eusexua? Let’s hear it from Twigs herself in an interview with British Vogue in September 2024:
“It’s like when you’ve been kissing a lover for hours and turn into an amoeba with that person. You’re not human anymore, you’re just a feeling…Or that moment before an orgasm: pure nothingness but also pure focus, in a state of eusexua. That’s kind of the way I want to live my life right now.” (Interview with British Vogue)
The quote is very revealing, providing a quality glimpse into the album’s message. It seems Twigs has endured trying times on the relationship front of late. She touches on that in Sticky when she sings ‘I’m tired of messing up my life with, Overcomplicated moments, Sticky situations’. Otherwise, the album focuses on living in-the-moment and independence. She longs for a drama-free connection on Perfect Stranger; ‘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.’ Girl Feels Good doubles as a female anthem and a message to men on recognizing when their lady is happy. Drums of Death, Room of Fools, Striptease and 24hr Dog all focus on themes of sexuality, lust and submission. Twigs is promoting that carefree, no-strings-attached lifestyle.
Which pop-prefix suits this album best? Options include alternative-pop, art-pop, dance-pop, electro-pop, avant-pop and/or experimental-pop. The correct answer is a healthy mix. It’s far from your cookie cutter, Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo pop album, that’s for sure. Twigs teamed up with a talented group of musicians and engineers to produce her wide-ranging vision for EUSEXUA. Much of the record leans into the club scene vibe, with their seductive energy meant for the dance floor. This extends to the underground dance scene as well as those boiler room brat performances by charli xcx seem to have already had an influence. Childlike Things features North West and is noticeably more radio-friendly than the rest and feels out of place. But I’ll be honest, it is kinda catchy! Overall, this is the type of album you hear something new on each listen as Twigs and her team integrated her vast wealth of musical knowledge throughout the 11-song tracklist.
This album is for listeners with an immense background in and appreciation of the many genres of music. I highly doubt your standard listener is throwing this on and loving from start to finish. On early run throughs I felt it was directionless and perhaps she bit off more than she could chew in branching off in so many varying styles. I do still believe the album would’ve benefited by reeling in the weird a little. But that clearly would have subtracted from her vision and the more I think of it, many of my favourite records step way outside-the-box and it’s a big part of what I love about them. You may not love each song or decision but you can appreciate the creative direction.
EUSEXUA is loaded with artistic innovation as this collection of songs has no boundaries. FKA Twigs is honest about where she is in life and aims to share that carefree passion, freedom of expression and sexuality with her fans through her music.
Overall Rating: 8.0/10
Favourite Song: Girl Feels Good