Six years on from Magdalene and a move to Prague later, FKA Twigs is ready with new material. This is not just a continuation of her art-pop style but a remoulding of what it means to be a public figure. All that spills out on the album’s self-titled single, a roaring piece that reminds listeners to feel for their own emotional transcendence. Such is the point of Eusexua. Liberation comes from the wildest of spots around the world. For the techno thrills of Eusexua, it comes from the influences FKA Twigs picked up while filming a remake of The Crow. It bombed, unsurprisingly so. But that project pulled FKA Twigs into a fresh, spirited styling that makes itself known here. It is broad, deep and volatile, as all great techno songs should be. Eusexua nails it. That feeling of complete and utter euphoria.
Reinvention is not the purpose for Eusexua, but finding some new understanding, for the benefit of those taking their first tentative steps into trance and techno, is. After some club classics last year, FKA Twigs has hit on an appetite remaining for techno tones, and Eusexua nails it. You may find yourself isolated, surrounded by friends or strangers, the appeal and feeling are all the same. Euphoria is the aim of the game and getting there comes through a series of instrumental pangs. It is not just noise – as admirable as that would be, there is plenty more to this trance notion. FKA Twigs is not set to give her spot as a lyricist up to the ambient-like scuff of this new sound. Rightly so. She uses the thumping, heartbeat-like introduction as a way to introduce us to her non-existent club. It exists in your mind, though. That beat is what many will need to unlock this new part of themselves.
Unity is what FKA Twigs searches for here. Her success in doing so depends on the bumps and twists of these electronics. A momentum made from the blue, a story unfolding from the entrance of some fluid space to a dancefloor where the changing tempo is all you need to find something new. Eusexua is a roaring, complex beast of a song which figures the troubles are caring too much. That may be the case, and if it is then the suggestion from FKA Twigs is that switching off, however long for, is the key. But when we switch off we turn our backs on what matters. There is a way to appeal to the heart and the mind, and Eusexua spends much of its time contemplating how to strike a balance.
Because if we do manage to switch off, somehow, we still care for what others think of us. There is no shame in admitting we feel the impact of another opinion, a new set of eyes on us. FKA Twigs is lacking the defiance on Eusexua, intentionally so. That much is learned for yourself and away from the self-capitulation heard so early into this, but so easily avoided when taken on an instrumental ride. What do we call true euphoria? We must experience it before we label it, surely? Eusexua is the start of a search which may come to define the year – a need and want to insulate away from the world with positive feelings, an energy which prescribes nothing but ups. To do so is to combat reality and somewhat childish, but everyone needs a break from the tough troubles. Eusexua learns that and presents a brilliant momentum for FKA Twigs to carry into her third album.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
