FKA twigs is one of one with EUSEXUA Afterglow

FKA twigs, also known as Tahliah Barnett, just released her fourth studio album titled EUSEXUA Afterglow. The record follows Barnett’s monumental January release EUSEXUA, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. 

The Gloucestershire-born artist is a rare talent, and Barnett’s creative prowess is überapparent on this record. Her initial career as a background dancer brought Barnett into the music video orbit for artists like Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Taio Cruz. Barnett’s nickname, “Twigs,” was born in this era, poking fun at the way her joints cracked while dancing. The “FKA” was added when a group known as The Twigs asked Barnett to change her stage name. Many fans have interpreted the letters to mean “formerly known as,” but Barnett has stated multiple times that the supposed acronym has no actual meaning.  

Barnett began officially releasing music as FKA twigs in 2012, and broke through two years later with her full-length debut LP1. After a long hiatus, twigs returned with her highly acclaimed second studio album, Magdalene, in 2019, and followed it up three years later with Caprisongs. Eusexua signalled the beginning of a third twigs era that cemented Barnett’s place at the very top of the music industry’s most creative and groundbreaking artists. 

Outside of the performing space, Barnett has made appearances advocating for human rights even testifying before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on Intellectual Property, pushing for regulations on generative AI deepfakes. This is particularly relevant because, ironically, Barnett has received some stark criticism on her most recent music video for the track “Predictable Girl,” which utilized generative AI to animate one of the final scenes. 

Musically, FKA twigs is unparalleled. She has adopted an experimental techno pop sound that is rooted in personal messaging and a fearless determination to innovate away from the norm. Just one look at her Instagram and it’s clear that everything she creates is teeming with expression. Even Barnett’s captions are written like poems from a personal journal. 

Twigs has undoubtedly carved a lane for herself to explore and unleash any musical avenues and Afterglow is no exception.

The album features 11 tracks with a runtime of 40 minutes, and twigs is a credited songwriter and producer on every track. If EUSEXUA was a documentation of a night out raving, Afterglow is the unwanted sunrise that hits you on your way out of the club, Barnett explained on an Instagram post.

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EUSEXUA Afterglow, like its predecessor, is production mastery. Every bass sound, synth, drum beat and vocal effect is built for the club and meant to be played loud. A large part in FKA twigs’ ability to have grown the fan base she has is fixated on that production excellence.

The standouts come early on this record, starting with the lone feature from fellow-Brit PinkPantheress on “Wild and Alone,” which brings some of the most coherent and impressive vocal performances of the album overtop a breakbeat that couldn’t be more fitting for the two. The following track, “HARD,” is easily the most widely appealing song on the album and taps into Barnett’s soft soprano alongside super rhythmic synth and bass lines. 

While musical exploration is always something I endorse, it comes with the need for patience. Some melodies on this record are hard to grasp onto through the distortion and static effects or spacey beats. The first minute and a half of “Piece of Mine” fits this description, where you have to double-check to make sure you’re still listening to the right album. On the other hand, a song like “Lost All My Friends” uses this ambiguity perfectly, crashing down the chaos into a sea of massive 808s and sharp percussive fills. 

To follow up a Grammy-nominated album is no small feat, especially when you’re doing it in the same calendar year. Yet, FKA twigs gives her fans a new character in the same EUSEXUA universe. Barnett’s capacity to creatively mold each aspect of her sound is a level of skill reserved for only a handful of artists. FKA twigs is an artist you simply cannot ignore, and her Grammy nod is evidence that people are paying attention.