“EUSEXUA” is the latest studio album from English singer, dancer and actress FKA twigs. Released Jan. 24, the 11-track album pulls from genres like art pop, dance pop and electronic music. The album features thought-provoking lyrics about female physicality and sexuality, personal growth and deepest desires. Accompanied by diverse and captivating electronic production, the album’s lyrics and production make it one dedicated to self-liberation through understanding of personal experiences and profound connection to the present moment.
FKA twigs coined the term eusexua herself after a night in Prague’s underground raves in 2022, as she explained in a recent interview with NPR.
“‘No one has their phones out, everybody's dancing … It's just for the people there that really experience it,’” twigs said.
She describes the feeling as being wholly and authentically absorbed in life’s pivotal moments — moments of pure presence, human freedom and expression. According to her, the feeling can arise from any kind of experience, not just parties. For example, this multifaceted feeling twigs experienced would soon be the driving feeling behind this creative project.
FKA twigs has always been a multi-genre artist. Her most recent album, “CAPRISONGS,” is a blend of avant-pop and electronic music. Her 2019 album, “MAGDALENE,” tried something new, combining pop and alternative-R&B. But on “EUSEXUA,” twigs’ balancing act between genres becomes even stronger as she masters both pop-danceability and synth-heavy electronic texture. As a result, “EUSEXUA” is an auditory treat that keeps listeners waiting to see when, where and how twigs will defy genre.
The album’s dynamic production and lyricism encourage listeners to delve into FKA twigs’ psyche, encouraging reflection and urging listeners to get in touch with their own eusexua.
Some songs on “EUSEXUA” are more straightforward with these calls for self-liberation. “Drums of Death,” the fourth track featuring British DJ Koreless, is a sharp and jolty example. The rhythm abruptly shifts between stuttering, syncopated electronic beats and steady pulses, and twigs’ breathy vocals are shrouded in layers of autotune.
The track’s ominous title and almost-awkward instrumental changes give “Drums of Death” a dark, cryptic vibe — but offer empowering lyrics to those who listen deeply. She boldly sings, “devour the entire world / f—ck it / make it yours,” and even invokes some humorous calls to action, such as, “crash the system, diva doll.” These lyrics leave listeners emboldened to make their mark on the world.
But not all tracks on “EUSEXUA” are as intense and overtly defiant as “Drums of Death.” The eighth track, “Childlike Things,” explores liberation through the lens of lightheaded playfulness. It is an entertaining pop track in which twigs sings of her desire to enjoy childhood and all its wonders — and what better way to communicate a sense of childishness than to feature North West, daughter of legendary rapper Kanye West and television personality Kim Kardashian?
North West has a relatively short verse as she sings, in Japanese, about her faith in Christianity. West’s contribution undoubtedly makes “Childlike Things” quirky, but by letting West sing about a topic of her choosing, twigs furthers the album’s idea of self-determination and simply lets West have fun on the track. FKA twigs soon follows, singing, “where the wild things are, I will be / lost in a world of childlike things and fantasies,” while a high-tempo beat continues in the background. While twigs’ and West’s messages are unrelated, their collaboration gives the track a plainly joyful vibe.
This balance is precisely what makes “EUSEXUA” so engaging, as it allows moments of independence to be found through both childlike innocence and more serious appeals. Once listeners have embraced their true selves, they can begin to deeply understand themselves, twigs argues throughout her album. Such a journey can be tracked song-for-song on “EUSEXUA,” culminating in an intimate closing track summarizing her experience through this journey.
In “Wanderlust,” the closing track of the album, the heavy vocal manipulation that is found on the album’s other songs disappears — twigs showcases her dulcet vocals as she moves between belts and whispers. The instrumentation is also scaled down to synths that harmonize with twigs’ vocals. twigs sings, “you’ve one life to live, do it freely,” leaving listeners with a touching reminder to live life to the fullest — in other words, leaving listeners with a final feeling of “EUSEXUA.”
But eusexua does not deal solely with matters of the mind — it also stresses the importance of being physically grounded. FKA twigs communicated this well through the creation of an art performance displayed in London four months before the album’s release.
“The Eleven” was a durational artwork exhibited in Sotheby’s London, a fine art brokerage company, from Sept.14-26, 2024. Designed by twigs herself, the artwork specifically connected the female body to the feeling of eusexua. The piece featured a rotating group of 11 performers, with twigs additionally performing on occasion. The performers went through somatic healing techniques — treatments that focus on the body and physical manifestations of emotions — such as breathing exercises and coordinated movements.
This exhibit was a powerful precursor to the album and helped familiarize fans to FKA twigs with the feeling of eusexua. The album delivers to listeners the same feeling that the exhibition did but from the comfort of listeners’ own headphones.
These ideas of physical and emotional release that “The Eleven” explored made their way onto “EUSEXUA” through the sixth track, “Sticky.” The song is a tender, piano-driven track with admirably raw lyrics. They detail how twigs is tired of drama and simply yearns to be understood, both in body and mind. She sings, “I’m tired of messing up my life with overcomplicated moments / and sticky situations,” “my body aches to be known / to be expressive in itself,” and simply, “I want to be loved.”
With such lyrics, twigs exemplifies how she would like her lover to both appreciate her physicality and love her, unfettered by drama. The track offers a clear view into how twigs’ longing for physical and emotional intimacy, making it the album’s most candid track.
With this powerful feeling directly in listeners’ hands, eusexua proves to be something that is, not something felt just by musicians or rave-attenders in Prague — it is something that everyone can feel.
“EUSEXUA” is opalescent. With diversified production and instrumentation, twigs’ strong vocal performance, captivating instrumentals and interesting lyrics, it is hard to tune out of “EUSEXUA.” twigs flawlessly delivers a listening experience that commands attention to the album and the world that surrounds it. Ultimately, listeners are left with a distinct feeling of mobilization. Maybe it is the courage to live life on one’s own terms. Or, maybe it is the urge to dance.
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