Catalaya Rates: EUSEXUA

Words are used to express a mental concept of our emotions, thoughts and feelings when we can’t express it in any other way. FKA Twigs went to Prague in search of a definition to her work ethic, struggles and overall life experience. After her time clubbing in Prague was over, she came back with a new word: “Eusexua.” After two years of cultivating Twigs’ third album, “Eusexua” dropped on Jan. 24. As a reflection to this album, The DrumBeat entrusted Imogen Brown and Catalaya Demarco to share their thoughts on each of these songs and define “Eusexua” for TJC audiences.

Eusexua

Catalaya: The first track and lead single from the album “Eusexua”  featured heavy techno sounds. The song makes you feel like you’re lost and floating in mid air. The way that the song ends with FKA Twigs’ piercing vocals gives you a nice preview for what you’re in for with the rest of this album.

Girl Feels Good

Catalaya: “When a girl feels good, it’ll make the world go round.” “Girl feels good” has an extreme 2000s vibe to it. This song is much more of a slow dance song than the first track. My favorite part about this song was the breakdown at the end; the focus on that rhythm and beat was incredible.

Perfect Stranger

Catalaya: “Perfect stranger” is an example of FKA Twig’s genre bending and not being afraid to experiment her sound. This track is a heavy dance pop song that makes you wanna bust a move. That beat drop at the end of the song makes me excited to hear this in a club.

Drums of Death

Catalaya: This electronic track will definitely be an instant classic for many of Twig’s fans. The production done by Koreless was nothing short of complex and spectacular. The glitched out vocals in the background contributed to creating a perfect electronic dance sound. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this song get played at raves around the world.

Room of Fools

Catalaya: As much as I appreciated the downward inflections FKA Twigs used on the  “it feels nice“ part, this song really didn’t do it for me. The outro was also nice, but I feel like this track lacked lyrically and overall it feels like the laziest track on this album. This is one of the few songs that I do not see myself streaming again.

Sticky

Catalaya: Catalaya: “Sticky” is a certified hit, period. Unlike “Room of Fools,” this song is a near masterpiece, lyrically. I love how she describes being self destructive in such a poetic way. The use of piano made it feel more dainty than the previous tracks. The idea for reintroducing synth at the end of this song lead to an insane final outro. That final beat breakdown reminded us that Twigs is a club legend before anything else.

Keep It, Hold It

Catalaya: This song has a very inspirational quality about it. The lyrics seem to be encouraging you to keep pushing through whatever you feel. Even the beat seems to have an adventure like whimsicality about it. This song definitely belongs in a video game or even maybe a movie.

Childlike Things

Catalaya: “Childlike Things” is certified seven times platinum in my house. The playful beat and lyrics really gave the song the vibe this album needed. North West, America’s most famous and iconic 11-year-old, delivered a rap verse completely in Japanese. Her feature took this song to the next level. The potential of this song is immense. This song makes me really excited to see North West’s music evolution over the next decade.

Striptease

Catalaya: On the surface, “Striptease” seems like a sexy, sultry and slow song. If you read between the lines, though, she is actually describing opening up to someone emotionally and spiritually. The variation in beats and vocalizations on this song, make it a listening experience.

24 hr Dog

Catalaya:  “24hr Dog” is THE love song of this album, hands-down. She is comparing her love and submission to her partner by alluding to the relationship and loyalty between a dog and their owner. I really loved the beat and the floatiness of it.

Wanderlust

Catalaya: Twigs delivers her iconic haunting vocals on an electronic beat. The song has a very ethereal beat that provides another floaty, dreamy track on this album. This song is nice, but it is easy to get overlooked with so many hits on this album.

Album Score

Catalaya: Twigs’ third studio album was a journey through electronic/techno and dance fusion. This album has a lot of replayable songs on it. It felt like a fight between love and lust. The collaborations on the album served as a push toward greater music. I could see this album getting heavy club play with many songs becoming classics for future generations to reminisce on experimental electronic sounds of the 2020s. I am rating this album a nine out of 10 because although there were two forgettable songs, the other seven made up for for what they lacked. This album will fit into her discography comfortably and stand the test of time.