“Water Me” - from EP2
“He won’t make love to me now / not now I’ve set the fee.” These are the first words many people, present company included, heard FKA Twigs sing. “Water Me” was the certified hit off her massively-head-turning second EP, which also included the seething erotic masterpiece “Papi Pacify” alongside the also-excellent “How’s That” and “Ultraviolet.” Produced in collaboration with Arca, “Water Me” encapsulates much of what makes FKA Twigs so captivating. The lyrics explore sexual longing with bracing frankness without succumbing to the maudlin tropes of the confessional. The track seems to shudder under the burden of its own desire, both tender, pained and paradoxically heavy in its weightlessness. Screwed & chopped techniques are reimagined through the lens of deconstructed r&b, rendered with sculptural precision. And the titular line is an inspired gut punch that instantly captures the contradictions, negotiations and bottomless sorrows of a breakup: “He told me I was so small / I told him ‘water me’ / I promise I can grow tall / When making love is free.”
“Two Weeks” - from LP1
If “Water Me” is a paean to sorrow and perseverance, “Two Weeks” is an anthem of sexual empowerment and a testament to the healing joys of unrestrained intimacy. Working again with Arca, “Two Weeks” was the first single from FKA Twigs’ triumphant LP1. In the lyrics, Twigs addresses a potential lover with a mix of wariness and teasing play. “I know it hurts, you know / I’d quench that thirst.” There’s some competition for her subject’s attention, and Twigs is determined to test him before giving herself over. Few lyrics are quite as blunt as the second verse’s “I can fuck you better than her / You say you want me, I say you'll live without it” before the chorus’ triumphant “Higher than a motherfucker / Dreaming of you as my lover / Give me two weeks, you won’t recognize her.” It’s the ultimate inversion of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene;” for Twigs, consecration feels cosmically fated. The track itself is a soaring deluge of staggering synths, trap hi-hats and ethereal chiming bells, and the push-and-pull of the verses culminates in a final chorus that captures the nearly-psychedelic level of attraction that comes when two people fall into love.
M3LL155X
M3LL155X was released as a single 16+ min YouTube video with integrated movement choreography, animation and set pieces, making it feel more like a suite than a simple collection of songs. Twigs was never lacking for hooks, but this batch feels ever-so-slightly more capital-p Pop than her previous work. But then again, maybe the world was just catching up with her.
Opener “Figure 8” lurches out with a brooding intensity that feels spiritually reminiscent of certain strains of ‘90s doomy rock, or perhaps Evanescence by way of Aalyiah in Queen of the Damned. Twigs’ vocals cover more ground than previously; her breathy falsetto remains in full effect, but so is a heavier, more embodied chest voice that brings a new force. When the track explodes into noise-laden quasi-metal territory, she remains in full control. The demonic rap that comes at 1:40 shivers with prickly defiance, but gives way to a chorus of Twigs that’s chopped into tiny grains, which scatter across the mix like fireflies.
“In Time” is another stone classic, with choreography that pays homage to some of the classic videos of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. “Glass & Patron” may be Twigs' first true club banger, and moves with the bracing, coiled intensity of a techno track, but it emerges from an extended interlude that simulates an unsettling birth in a van in the woods. For Twigs, sexuality remains a potent source of vitality, but also of peril. In seeking ecstasy, one risks oblivion.
Cellophane - from Magdalene
The closer for 2019’s Magdalene, “Cellophane” continued FKA Twigs’ embrace of more popular appeal while maintaining and extending the core of her musical vision. The song clears out some (though not all) of the skittering percussion of her previous tracks for a more accessible and pared-back piano-centric arrangement. Another heartwrenching breakup anthem, “Cellophane” mirrors the raw-nerve impact of “Water Me,” but goes big, ditching the haiku-like perfection of its predecessor for something more definitive and soaring. “Cellophane” feels like Twigs’ answer to Adele. It was popular enough to find a second life in quasi-parody, with this off-brand Miss Piggy cover blowing up on Tik Tok. And yet the song is so affecting that even the joke couldn’t shake its inevitable pathos.
For each album cycle, Twigs devoted herself to a new movement practice. Magdalene saw her take on pole dancing, and “Cellophane” showcases her remarkable skills - her instructor called her a “prodigy” - to stunning effect. “I think recently the idea of moving through air has become really exciting to me,” she said in an interview. “So, obviously I started off as a dancer, feet on the ground. And then I’ve taken it to a pole, which allows me to fly, and I think now the thing that I’m most excited about is the idea of anti-gravity.” This song feels untethered to the earth, floating in the atmosphere of its own accord.
Eusexua - from Eusexua
Never one to shy away from a bold presentation, Twigs’ new album Eusexua (out tomorrow) centers on eleven “pillars” (aka songs) that articulate the titular concept. Inspired by revelatory experiences clubbing anonymously in Prague and a subsequent deep-dive into the techno/rave space, Twigs describes a feeling of true, corporeal liberation. “I had this burning desire… If I couldn't make people feel that, at least invent a word where people could imagine it. We can be free.”
The song glides over an effervescent groove that hints at the progressive dance music of the late ‘90s while also tapping into IDM and, at times, delicate balladry. “Eusexua as a concept is so incredibly powerful but also so incredibly dangerous. Once the human race realizes they can constantly be on the path of Eusexua, everything dismantles,” she told Imogen Heap in a recent conversation. Perhaps grandiose, but in a world of cynicism we could use some idealists. “For me, Eusexua is creating purely, unabashedly. Feeling more comfortable in my body sexually and more present. With the body, there are no mistakes.”
FKA Twigs performs live at Knockdown Center, Thursday April 3rd and Friday April 4th.