Don’t Call It Love Eusexua
FKA Twigs has done it again. The last piece we heard from her was Caprisongs, which she did not define as an album but a mixtape. It was whimsical, fun like a beach day spent with friends, feminine, almost tropical, and juicy. Caprisongs was also a step forward from Magdalene, which focused on heartbreak and the search for your way back home, after a period of physical, psychological, and emotional strain. In true Twigs fashion, she made artistry and care central to the aesthetic and performative process. After Caprisongs, something felt like it had reached a satisfying point of full circle, but yet, as usual, she went above and beyond again with her latest release, Eusexua.
jordan Pettitt/courtesy of Getty Images, shared via Hypebeast
Let’s get the basics down first: regardless of the spelling or how it may sound, Eusexua is a made-up word. In a short-form video with some of her friends, the singer explains that she wanted to name a feeling she could not find an exact word for, at least not in the English language. In her own words: “It is the same feeling as having been dancing all night and you lose seven hours to music and you look at your phone and think ‘Oh my God, it’s 8 o'clock in the morning and the last time you looked it was 1’. It’s also the feeling you get when you meet someone that you really like and you just kiss all night and you kiss for hours, you lose time. Your bodies become one and you’re almost like an amoeba. It’s this kind of meditative, amazing, beautiful experience. It’s also the moment before I get a really good idea of pure clarity. Like when everything moves out of the way. Everything. Your mind is completely blank and your mind is elevating.” I could go on by dissecting the lyrics one by one, but I think it is best to let everyone have their own associations to Eusexua. What I love the most about Twigs' work is that it is recognizable, not necessarily always fully relatable, because it has an esoteric component to it, something that someone can tap into subconsciously, but it is never pretentious.
As with many of the best things, I get the feeling that Eusexua will be one of those songs that grows on you. It’s not necessarily catchy, but that does not seem to be the point. It is deep, it is a statement, it is an intention—it’s a taste test for her newest album. Looking back at her previous work, we already know that her curation and mastery of craft are almost unparalleled. One thing about her is that she will put her body and soul into her ideas and concepts. If she needs to be proficient in pole dancing, she will. If she suddenly decides she wants to command sword fighting like an ancient warrior, she will. If she has to make up a new word in the dictionary to make sense of things, she (you guessed it) will.
FKA Twigs is, in every sense, the definition of a multi-hyphenated artist. The coolest part is that you can always recognize her voice and touch in everything she does. Right now, I can only try and look for more Eusexua moments in life, and hopefully, you can too. Some people on the Internet are already saying that Eusexua is the only place they want to be, and sincerely, same here.
