English electronic-pop star and actor Tahliah Barnett, known in the music world by her stage name FKA twigs, released her third studio album, “Eusexua,” on Thursday. This new project is just as creative as her prior work but breaks new ground with experimental production and diverse sounds.
An artist lacking definition, Barnett is a classic polymath, involved in every aspect of her album’s production and promotion. From her uncanny sense of fashion to her sharp direction of choreography, her work is stamped with distinct style, from the music videos and cover art to the actual songs themselves.
Barnett started her career as a part-time backup dancer and stripper, a background that influenced her focus on dance and feminine representation. She is outspoken about her political beliefs in her art and in life, from her support of sex workers to her opposition to AI deep fakes that she voiced in a congressional hearing last year. “Eusexua,” by contrast, leaves behind political overtones in favor of a more personal exploration of sexuality.
While past releases have seen her develop her skills behind the microphone, “Eusexua” portrays the most confident and comfortable version of Barnett yet. While her reputation for making intelligent and danceable music largely precedes her, Barnett cements her status in the upper echelon of pop with yet another rousing success. The album is the most complete project in her career and will hopefully serve as a springboard for future.
“Eusexua” kicks off with its thumping title track whose name is a portmanteau of “sex” and “euphoria,” describing intimate experiences that Barnett thinks are “the pinnacle of human experience.” Barnett’s characteristically thin, soprano voice contrasts well against the bassy aggressiveness of the instrumental, embodying the album’s juxtaposition of violent euphoria and serene sensuality.
Barnett excels across the album at driving her songs to a dramatic climax, and this first track is no exception. Though it starts out with low synths and whisper-quiet vocals, it slowly crescendos into a club anthem with heavy percussion and energetic electronic harmonies.
The next track, “Girl Feels Good,” is another standout, which seems to take cues from the industrial synth-pop of the ‘80s. Depeche Mode-esque electronics echo across this song as Barnett flies up and down her vocal range. While it might not have the most exciting lyrics or instrumental, this may be one of her most technically impressive songs to date.
Barnett follows up with another hit in “Perfect Stranger,” an amorous ode to the one-night stand. She layers her singing over a whispery performance, creating a unique delivery while simultaneously out of breath and full of energy. The beat to “Perfect Stranger” also perfectly matches the song with a standard club atmosphere, filled with interesting sounds and bone-rattling bass.
In sharp contrast to the previous song, the following song, “Drums of Death,” is anything but standard. Barnett delves deep into abrasive synths and rapid percussive hits, symbolizing a more rabid side of sexuality. The radical song ends off with a call-to-action: “Crash the system, diva doll.”
Barnett abandons the severity of the “Drums of Death” sound in the next track, “Room of Fools,” which is the impetus of the entire “Eusexua” idea. It describes a lively dance floor full of clubbers, moving “beautiful[ly] untethered.” Matching this sensation, the beat floats along with lighter effects and more melodic synths, reminiscent of Björk’s “Vespertine” in pairing diverse instrumentals with a unique vocal performance.
“Stray dogs on the dancefloor,” Barnett sings in a lilting high pitch. “Demigods in unconscious form.”
The next songs, “Sticky” and “Keep It, Hold It,” are less ambitious from a lyrical or vocal perspective but sport some of the best instrumentals on the entire project. Both have incredible dynamic range — especially “Sticky,” which starts nearly silent and ends in blaring noise.
“Striptease” returns to the album’s core concept with a heavy beat, complete with pounding drums and trippy synths. Barnett’s hypnotic singing on verses draws the listener into this intoxicating song before she cascades into a serenade at the chorus. Really, a lot of this album could be compared to water, in the way it flows from track to track effortlessly, occasionally riding through choppier sounds or calmer drones.
The outro, “Wanderlust,” rounds out the album with a gloriously rich and sweeping finale. Barnett addresses the audience directly and implores them to live their life to the fullest and find purpose, as she has.
“You’ve one life to live, do it freely,” she sings. “It’s your choice to break or believe in it.”
Even if “Eusexua” does have a couple blemishes, the overall product is an undeniable achievement. Barnett lays the groundwork for more experimentation on the album, and one can only hope she doesn’t rest on her laurels with such an outstanding accomplishment.
