If you’ve ever had sex so other-worldly that it feels like you’ve reached the astral plane, or if you’ve felt connected by the same string of energy to someone on the dancefloor, you may have experienced eusexua. “And if they ask, you say you feel it, but don’t call it love / Eusexua,” FKA twigs sensually sings against a pounding beat and sultry synths in the title track. The word eusexua – defined by Twigs as a transcendental state which exceeds euphoria and can be reached through sex, connection, meditation and other means – may be new, but its universality is explored throughout the album, one lustful synth-fuelled track at a time.
‘Eusexua’ is FKA twigs’ first studio album in five years, following on from 2019’s ‘MAGDALENE’ and her 2022 mixtape ‘Caprisongs’. Across her releases so far, the Cheltenham-born singer’s calling card has been her signature light, airy vocals. Here, they’re a constant too, sometimes distorted to sound both ethereal and extraterrestrial, those effects tied together by the experimental, electronic layered sounds that cushion her.
That production is the album’s best quality, bringing extra depth, pace and story to a project which rawly explores eroticism and the power of submission. The ambient ‘24hr Dog’ – about submitting yourself completely to a lover – has a hypnotic, trance-like quality, representing letting yourself go into a state of obedience and control. “Please don’t call my name when I submit to you this way, I’m a dog for you,” she sings wistfully and timidly before letting out a gentle howl. Meanwhile, the trippy ‘Girl Feels Good’ takes on female pleasure via deeply orgasmic, reverbing synths and a distorted melody that gives the track a psychedelic-like quality. It’s reminiscent of the all-encompassing gratification felt when sex is good – or, as Twigs puts it, “When a girl feels good / It makes the world go around.”
Twigs’ emotional vulnerability does not go amiss in ‘Eusexua’, as sound and pace are used to convey a shift in her emotional dynamic. ‘Striptease’ is an electronic R&B number which features lush and immersive soundscaping, characterised by ambient pads, airy synths and an avant garde edge. The track highlights the almost sensuality of letting yourself be open and bare all and finding relief in succumbing to pleasure and closeness. “I’m stripping my heart till my pain disappears, opening me feels like a striptease,” she sings longingly, harmonising with layers of her own vocals.
But Twigs makes it clear that the feeling of eusexua isn’t just achieved through physical intimacy, sex, and a deep understanding of oneself – it’s also felt while on the dancefloor and connecting with strangers through music and movement. Racy and raunchy track ‘Room of Fools’ is driven by a heavy sub-bass, giving the song a propulsive and dance-like energy. Yet it also sounds like a racecar shifting through abrupt transitions and dramatic changes in pace like a driver changing gears. Exploring the hedonism of colliding with people on the dancefloor, it celebrates late-night decadence and the ability to indulge in your inhibitions without restraint.
Percussion-driven ‘Drums of Death’ has techno-like qualities, combining polyrhythms and syncopation to give the track a feeling of push and pull, tension and release. The beats hit with a guttural, almost ceremonial energy, evoking a sense of ritualistic spirit and highlighting the communal power of dance and movement. “Crash the system, diva doll / Serve cunt / Serve violence,” Twigs commands at the end of the track, asserting herself as the conductor of collective chaos.
Twigs has successfully shown that the connection of music, movement, mind, soul and body can be converted into sound, weaving these elements into a cohesive and transcendent artistic experience. She brings her own assured sense of creativity and spirituality and combines it with her ability to materialise the intangible. As the album’s closing track says, “You’ve one life to live, do it freely”. What better note to leave it on?
Details
Release date: January 24, 2025
Record label: Young
The post FKA twigs – ‘Eusexua’ review: a lust-fuelled insight into what it is to be human appeared first on NME.
