A Lot on My Crate

I first heard about FKA Twigs when I first heard her amazing “Cellophane” single that followed her Magdalene release. It was so minimalist, but it was so out there in the distant aether. That’s how I would describe her music, just “out there.” That song made me look up her debut album alternative R&B record, LP1 and her dark M3LL155X EP, these projects were enough for me to follow her and I’ve been looking forward to her projects ever since. Then came the art pop album, Eusexua and it made an uproar. Despite being an artist that is so out there, she was able to reach so many and resonated enough of the zeitgeist to win Best Dance/Electronic Album at the Grammys with Eusexua not too long ago! This album was honestly the first I loved from 2025 since it was released January of that year. This album has kept me going until I found some more later in the year. But listening to this album even now, it is still a hit. It still hasn’t fallen off and my admiration of it has not waned. It has many attributes that make it a stellar listen. It’s experimental, it’s sensual, has a beautiful main voice, and it’s electronic centric, which I usually gravitate towards to. It even has talented producer Koreless holding the helm of production too. His style is so very appropriate on Twig’s vision. There are some throwbacks to this album, but it still feels so futuristic. Hopefully she gets even more exposure after the Grammy win. However, this has been one of the most confusing album rollouts that I can recall. Eusexua released in January of 2025. Then come November 2025 and Eusexua was released as a reissue with four tracks being replaced. Then Eusexua Afterglow was initially released as a deluxe album, but not really? It was just released as an entirely different album with all different tracks. It was a headache, but listening to these recent releases, I still prefer the original Eusexua, so that’s the version I will be talking about. But what is Eusexua? I know I’m not the only one who has asked this, because it seems like a portmanteau of euphoria and sexual. According to the trailer of the single however, it seems that many of the interviewees have different interpretations of what Eusexua is. Although, not entirely concrete, they all seem to focus on one direction or mood. Feeling good. I also like the one interpretation that it makes one alive. No matter what mood I’m in, music has made me reach emotions in the whole spectrum. For me, it is a great coping mechanism and it gets to the point that having earbuds in public is like my security blanket with my Linus. Even when I’m feeling down or negative, certain music helps me get through those hardships. Sometimes the music can be sexual, but it doesn’t have to be. It makes you feel alive. Art just does that. It reminds you that you’re living. So, listening to Eusexua, it’s a way of telling someone not to take those positive feelings you have for granted, but to embrace them.

The titular track (speaking of titular hehehe) “Eusexua” serves as a great opener by starting out soft and minimalist. FKA Twigs pours her heart out over this glitch that grows into this cinematic arc into her saying it drives people away, since she’s been so true of herself. But she comforts you and says, “you’re not alone”. It was a slow burner single that I wasn’t into at first, but listening to this as the debut, I feel like not having this stunning opener would kneecap the LP. “Girl Feels Good” sounds like a true blue throwback to nostalgic millennial pop that I was raised to love and Twigs just owns it like she belongs there. “Girl Feels Good” is referring to the female orgasm, as it is very sensual and sticks to the plan of one feeling euphoria. “Perfect Stranger” is more Y2K era pop and some eurodance while giving herself to a person she doesn’t even know. “Drums of Death” is probably the catchiest with these stuttering kicks, sporadic glitches, chopped up vocal samples, and a catchy hook and chorus that just makes me come back to this song again and again. We enter “Room of Fools” where we have the bouncy synth loop in the background, that reminds me of SOPHIE’s Product days. But this clubby dance number and Björk influenced singing, goes into this cathartic refrain, which is “It feels nice”. Another satisfying tally in the books. The mysterious, sensual, and exotic “Sticky” just lurks from behind and whispers sweet lines into your ear saying she wants to be done with the drama as it is killing her. And the end of this song sounds like it is killing her as we hear this erratic glitching crash out, like if she has self destructed. I loved how dynamic this track has brought and derails me, mood wise. I liked “Keep It, Hold It”, because of how quiet, yet catchy the chorus is. I find myself whispering to myself like a maniac, whenever I listen to this track, I “keep it walking” or “hold it close”. It’s about this part of the album it starts to dip in quality in my opinion and doesn’t have a strong ending, but “Striptease” is still worth talking about as we have this character opening themselves for someone piece by piece, and then we get this Cranberries’ “Linger” yodeling sort of outro. “24hr Dog” sounds like a song when two lone individuals are suspended in the void face to face, but it’s their moment. The lyrics “Your love chores. Distract me from the worst flaws.” was very telling on how emotional this song was as those lines really resonate how two certain beings mutually need one another. FKA Twigs embraces the closer “Wanderlust” and does her Charli XCX like flows here, yet sometimes not using her usual autotune. At the chorus, she makes it grand and operatic as she shouts on top of the cliffs of the crashing sea, that she is departing by looking for more pleasure. It sounds tragic, yet bittersweet that she is leaving this plane of existence. But you can’t stop, but hope she’ll be happy out there.

Taking a U-turn, when things take a playful turn on “Childlike Things”, which I appreciate its upbeat bright nature in a dark, sensual album like this, however I’ll elaborate more on why this was not my cup of tea. Even despite it’s going for a brighter mood, it just sounds so jarringly out of place from the gestalt of the album. Like a different person just crashed the stage. Happy for North West who obviously sounds like a fan of Twigs, but not sure how cohesive this direction was. It’s cute is all I can say.

Tahliah Barnett aka FKA Twigs has delivered one of the most avant-garde listens of 2025, as this record was and is a testament on what pop can be. It is an ever changing, mechanical, and breathing life form from the far future. It is an enchanting seductress, but sympathetic. It is a siren that lures you not into harm’s way, but into self satisfaction. Whether this lover in the album is human or not, intact or damaged, you never felt in peril even with this album’s multiple arms clenched into your deepest desires. It’s comforting in a way and doesn’t judge you for exposing your inner feelings. The fact that this album still hasn’t lost its magic and aphrodisiac for a year now, for me, is impressive and the album deserves all the praise it has received. Because when I get that feeling, I want “Eusexua” healing. Eusexua….healing. Hey, what’s that cane doing on sta-?

FAVORITE TRACKS: EUSEXUA, GIRL FEELS GOOD, DRUMS OF DEATH, ROOM OF FOOLS, STICKY, KEEP IT, HOLD IT, 24HR DOG

LEAST FAVORITE: CHILDLIKE THINGS

Her discography is also available for streaming.