Singer, songwriter and vocalist FKA Twigs is no stranger to being “different.” Fusing electronic art pop with modern dance, a style that would become the artist’s calling card, she’d show how much of a musical pioneer she is in today’s generation.
During a festival performance this past August, the singer announced that she would be “giving birth” to her next project, titled “Eusexua Afterglow.” Originally thought to be a deluxe version of her previous album, the project evolved and became its own body of work, described as a sequel to “Eusexua.”
One day before “Eusexua Afterglow” was released, the singer announced that she would be re-releasing “Eusexua,” along with four new tracks, “Perfectly” being one of them. This surprise came not even one year after the critically acclaimed album’s release.
It can be perceived as either a deluxe or alternate version of what “Eusexua” was originally intended to be. This re-release would continue the trend of evolution and change in her music and life alike, one that FKA Twigs was now using to her advantage despite the setbacks of her tour.
The album’s sound is a significant departure from the earthy, techno sounds of “Eusexua,” featuring more glitch-pop and breakdown elements to create a more ambient sultry album.
Though still heavily electronic, the album taps into a new moment in the singer’s life, such as the aftermath of the Eusexua Tour issues. If “Eusexua” is the mature, older sister who has tapped into her opus and gained true knowledge, then “Afterglow” is the younger, brash sister who only wants to party all night and feel the cost of her actions via the club.
Opening track “Love Crimes” finds the listener in the midst of a club scene, pulsating beats throbbing as Twigs sings, “Hard times call for love crimes; You might be the one, but now I’m done.”
Second track “Slushy” follows the singer and her friends as they leave the club, singing “Running ’round the city with my girls feeling fine, Drop-top down, actin’ 23, Wonderin’ who I am, if I can,” with echoing effects and a softer melody as the singer names all of these things that make her feel good.
The track transitions smoothly into “Wild and Alone,” the only song featuring another artist, PinkPanthress in this case. The track continues the softer, echo-like trance, this time incorporating more dance elements as Twigs and Pink sing, “One flame given to another, never lost no light, I’ll keep you warm, I’ll do you right, baby.”
“Hard,” the fourth track and third single to have a video, stands out as a callback to the singer’s early work, “LP1.” The video is a performance-style video, shot in a monochromatic film, with Twigs performing a more intricate dance piece with a set of powerful backup dancers.
Starting her career as a dancer, the music video reinforces similar themes and imagery from her song “Video Girl.” This time, instead of being chained by her own fears and doubt, she has now broken free and allowed herself to evolve into something more. Gone is the need to be perfect, to sing the best note, and with it comes imperfection, crazed movement and freedom.
The lyrics capture this newfound freedom beautifully, as she sings: “I need your hard love in my life, would you do it the way I need you, I’m the kind of girl that is so physically free, physically free, like it should be.”
The rest of the album features standouts like “Sushi,” “Lost All My Friends” and the album’s closer “Stereo Boy.” The tracks continue the lighthearted, glitchy breakdown vibe from the beginning half of the album, making it almost impossible not to get up and feel the music.
“Sushi” fuses techno house in a beautifully avant-garde fashion, building up from a relaxed tempo to the fast-paced ballroom heat you’d find in a club in New York. She sings, “Sushi on Monday, Dancing on Tuesday, Karaoke Wednesday, I wanna take you out.”
Twigs addresses a lover throughout the track, mentioning all the things she’d want to do with them, even the fact that “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee is her go-to karaoke track. A little easter egg from her “M3LL155X” EP finds her whispering. “Now, hold that pose for me” as the song enters its grueling house section, with legendary ballroom commentator Precious Basquiat chanting, “Walk for me, walk for me, walk for me.”
“Stereo Boy” slows down all the fun from before, and finds the singer channeling personas from her “LP1” and “Magdalene” albums. Its harsh, destructive sound becomes painful, as Twigs sings, “I heard the static in your heart, ‘Cause you’re just a stereo boy, Stereo boy,” recalling a past troubled relationship.
The tracks make perfect sense for the artist’s real-life issues, such as her breakup with actor Robert Pattinson that gave birth to “Magdalene,” or her legal battle against Shia LaBeouf for physical, mental and emotional abuse.
FKA Twigs proves time and time again how being a disruptor can show a new side of creative freedom that artists can tap into. Her journey as an artist and human has ultimately shaped what her craft could become and evolve into.
Both “Eusexua” and “Eusexua Afterglow” emulate this creative feat, one for the thinkers and one for the party-goers. It’s very rare to see an artist at this level in their prime, and it solidifies Twigs as a musical pioneer in today’s generation.
Her music reminds the listener how to think beyond the box they are kept in, while also having fun, being free and living for the creative expansion that comes from within. As “Eusexua” says, “Do you feel alone? You’re not alone.”
