A version of this article was published on January 24, 2025

If there was ever an artist that had arrived from space to accelerate our musical development, FKA twigs would definitely be up there (she’s already out there). With otherworldly soprano vocals that blur the line between voice and instrument, and experimental electronic production that borrows as much from the conservatoire as the observatoire, twigs’ sonic palette truly sounds like it was honed in another universe. Moreover, while her lyrics often focus on the human condition, these emotions are often interrogated with such clarity that it almost seems as if she really is an alien experiencing them for the first time.

It is within this lineage, then, that Eusexua arrived earlier this year as perhaps twigs’ most mortal yet. Drawing on the comparatively concrete sonic influences of “techno warehouse raves”, and with lyrics that focus on the euphoric healing of bodily trauma through dance, the album weaved a surprisingly tangible narrative for an artist that usually escapes all attempts to be boxed in. 

It also represents an ecstasy that is very welcome, given the fissure of heartbreak that runs through most of her previous releases. As twigs sings of her newly discovered “supersonic” powers and sex positivity on Eusexua, she not only emerges as her most human, but also her most self-assured yet. In fact, by the time that North West featured J-pop track “Childlike Things” arrives in the closing section of the project, it seems that the South London artist has transcended this earthly plane altogether.

Today’s release, Eusexua Afterglow, however, tracks the aftermath of this orgasmic euphoria. The project was first unveiled live at a Seoul Community Radio event in September of this year, and was initially conceived as a deluxe edition of Eusexua before evolving into a full-length album in its own right. Thematically, it picks off right where Eusexua left off – in the rave – gradually descending from hardcore techno and electronic pop, into sludgy trip-hop as she starts to come down from her high. 

Below, as FKA twigs embraces her fragile side on Eusexua Afterglow, we rank her entire discography on a spectrum of alien to human. 

MOST ALIEN: LP1 

Tell me that opening track “Preface” doesn’t sound like twigs literally being beamed down Earth in real time. Blending electronic and ambient production with choral elements that betray twigs’ extensive classical training, her debut full-length release is likely her most experimental (read: alien) yet. It also marks the most uncompromising incarnation of the twigs sound, introducing the avant-garde production and ethereal ‘mouth music’ that would become a staple of her releases up until Caprisongs. 

EP2

Where LP1 represents twigs being beamed down to Earth, the largely computer-generated visuals for EP2 see both her body and sound starting to take physical form. There’s an undeniable sense of transience running through twigs’ Arca-produced second project, as reverbed-out trip hop-esque kicks contrast the comparatively started drum loops of EP1. At its core, however, is the constant sense of heartbroken self-doubt that resurfaces right up until Eusexua’s sexual awakening. 

MAGDALENE

Sophomore album Magdalene is a key development in the twigs canon. Tracing a journey of self-discovery following her break-up with Robert Pattinson in 2017, the project sees twigs use the extended metaphor of Mary Magdalene to explore themes of female empowerment and the oppression of women across history. While this is all very human, it’s twigs’ apparent ability to time travel on the project that firmly sets this in the realm of science fiction. twigs’ classical composition and choral delivery is contrasted with trap kicks on tracks like the Future-featured “holy terrain”, while visuals for the project see the dancer-turned-musician embrace the ancient art of wushu and contemporary pole dance alike. She says it herself on the project: “I’m a fallen alien.”

M3LI55X 

There’s something profoundly relatable about twigs’ awkward attempts at partying on “Glass & Patron” and “In Time”. Insecurity abounds in questions like “Do you have a lighter?” and “Am I dancing sexy yet?”, as vocals glitch in and out of intelligibility and production takes a turn towards broken industrial club beats. If LP1 represented twigs being beamed down to Earth, then M3LI55X’s exploration of late-night anxiety inhabits the uncanny valley of her crossover into the mortal plain. 

EP1

While I am certain that twigs is not of this world, her debut project from back in 2013 does a good job of convincing us otherwise. Lyrics here deal with twigs’ yearning for a love lost, while, unlike the glitchier releases that would follow, lead melodies are allowed to play out relatively uninterrupted. Just ask yourself this, though: if twigs really was human, then why would she need to remind herself to breathe?

CAPRISONGS

Enlisting the support of fellow Londoners Pa Salieu and Unknown T, and making reference to Crystal Palace, Croydon College and Linford Christie Stadium, there’s no doubt that the project is largely set in the painfully human environment of South London. Similarly, in stark contrast to the choral direction of preceding album Magdalene, Caprisongs incorporates elements of hyperpop, drill, dancehall, drum ‘n’ bass and, dare I say, pop. The final nail in the coffin for Caprisongs humanness? It had the most mainstream appeal. Thanks, twigs, for dumbing things down for us humans. 

EUSEXUA

‘But you said this was her most mortal release yet!’ I hear you protest. Yes, it’s so human, in fact, that it’s starting to come full circle. In the run-up to today’s release, twigs explained that ‘eusexua’ was a term that she herself had coined to describe a “sensation of being so euphoric” that one could “transcend human form”. This is reflected in the album’s visuals, with her signature skullet haircut and contorted dance movements reflecting a body positivity that borders on transhumanism. Elsewhere, lyrics describe a healing process that sees twigs emerge as almost superhuman on “Childlike Things” – a track which, if nothing else, is the stuff of science fiction purely for its decision to feature North West rapping in Japanese (and make it good?). Much like the planets in our solar system, it seems that fallen angel twigs’ voyage to Earth is elliptical.

MOST HUMAN: EUSEXUA AFTERGLOW

We all feel painfully mortal after an orgasm (and especially on a comedown) and, it seems, twigs is no exception. As a whole, Eusexua Afterglow tracks the immediate moments after Eusexua’s climax, from the thumping techno-pop of opener “Love Crimes” and Detroit techno cut “Wild And Alone” to doing karaoke to “Gasolina” and, eventually, leaving the club to hook up with a one night stand on the tempo-shifting trip-hop track “Cheap Hotel”. The latter forms a particular turning point on the project, with production taking a turn for the dreamy and subdued for the remainder of its runtime. By the time closing tracks “Lost All My Friends” and “Stereo Boy” come around, twigs sounds particularly fragile as she sings: “I lost my mind in the car, I don’t even remember who you are.” It’s a painfully relatable end to a substance-laced night out – what goes up must come down.