November 2025 AOTM
FKA Twigs - EUSEXUA Afterglow
Tracks 11
Runtime 40mins
Favorite Tracks Love Crimes, Wild And Alone, HARD, Predictable Girl, Sushi
I have mixed opinions about Charli XCX’s critically acclaimed 2024 album BRAT, but I cannot deny the cultural sensation it sparked. It was, for many people, their first interaction with this club style electronic dance music, and its fusion with Charli’s addicting pop songwriting had people instantly hooked. They wanted more. And it was at this point, at exactly the right time, that FKA Twigs announced EUSEXUA, coming early 2025. And the hype was instantaneous. Twigs is known for her attention to detail, her artistry, her ability to craft vibes and sounds you don’t really experience anywhere else. She’s a powerhouse in the Art Pop world, and no stranger to club music, often using deconstructed club beats and stylings to build masterpieces like her 2019 album MAGDALENE.
EUSEXUA sadly, was none of these things. The production was dull, the songwriting was uninspired, and the vocals never came even close to showing off how talented Twigs is as a singer. Each track blended into the next. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a bad album, I am absolutely being overly negative here, but given the level of quality I’ve come to expect from FKA Twigs, I couldn’t help feel disappointed. Audiences seem to agree, as the buzz died down fairly quickly after its release. There were no weekly Market Hotel EUSEXUA raves, no talks of a EUSEXUA Summer.
So when FKA Twigs released EUSEXUA Afterglow, I almost didn’t bother listening to it. I thought it was just a deluxe edition of EUSEXUA. It is so, so much more than that.
With EUSEXUA it felt as though Twigs had a concept she wanted to explore but was instead forced to try to make BRAT 2. With EUSEXUA Afterglow, a full B-side matching the original almost exactly in length, we get to see everything EUSEXUA was meant to be.
It took her exactly 15 seconds to shatter my expectations and remind me exactly who the fuck I was listening to. Love Crimes, the opening track, feels like a statement of intent. The thin flat production of EUSEXUA is laid to rest as this track pulses with a pounding bone rattling techno kick. Her floaty breathy ethereal vocal style is back too, a perfect pair and foil to this more abrasive beat. But she doesn’t leave behind that poppy vocal style she uses in EUSEXUA, and her use of it here has completely flipped my opinion of it. With production more appropriate for and faithful to her original club pop goal, pop vocals feel so much more tasteful, so much more her.
Another thing I think this album does much better than its A-side is the pacing, and with this album more than ever I find myself thinking about dj sets, and what makes them moving. The easiest way to make a set flow well is to pick songs that all have the same vibe. Similar tempos similar keys similar genres, they’ll all blend into each other and make a near seamless experience, excellent background music. This was the approach EUSEXUA seemed to take, very consistent, but at the cost of memorability.
There’s absolutely a time and place for this style, but the best type of DJ sets are the ones that demand attention, the ones that change vibe wildly. I witnessed one of my favorite local DJs, Futch Cassidy, mix an EDM track into Nikes by Frank Ocean in the middle of a really upbeat set. The reaction from the crowd was electric. Jaws were on the floor, strangers were turning to each other saying “oh my god how does this work so well???” That’s true compositional craftsmanship I think: the ability to not just build something, but to toss it from hand to hand, bounce it off the walls, split it open and put it back together, watch as the colors shift.
And that’s the mentality that FKA Twigs exhibits here. I could spend hundreds of words talking about each individual song on this album, the vaporwave beats in Cheap Hotel, the way Predictable Girl uses juxtapositions of distorted and clean tones, but I don’t think any song has given me that jaw on the floor feeling like Sushi did. It begins more or less as expected for this album, reverbed vocals that are a touch poppier than usual, pulsing bass, production you could drown in. But halfway through the song, Twigs moves us into a trap beat using a slowed jungle drum sample. It’s so smooth it’s brilliantly done, so brilliant that you relax a bit, that has to be the main trick this song has up its sleeve, right? Right when that thought crosses your mind is when Twigs pulls the rug right out from under your feet.
The first ballroom crash cuts through like lighting. There’s enough time before the second one that you start to doubt what you heard. Then the voice of Precious, renowned ballroom vogue MC cuts in and the song hard pivots into a full ballroom track. FKA Twigs is well versed in ballroom culture (see the music video for her song Glass & Patron), she knows her shit. But between the even, digestible composition of EUSEXUA, and her usual floaty ethereal style, I forgot that. This full style switchup is so unexpected, so perfectly executed. The FKA Twigs I know and love makes those decisions, she makes them work, and she is so fucking back.
EUSEXUA Afterglow is our reminder that left to her own devices, unrestricted, FKA Twigs will blow your mind in near infinite ways. She paints with glass, the way it reflects and refracts light, the way it rings as it hits the ground. In chimes, smashed windshields, sunglass lenses, her inspiration knows no bounds, and if you think her artistic judgement has wavered, it is only the calm before the storm.
Other Albums from this month I enjoyed
LAUSSE THE CAT - The Mocking Stars
- A truly beautiful tapestry of UK Jazz Rap, equal parts silly and moving. The contrast of immaturity of themes and the delicate sophistication of the production, pulling influence from Trip-Hop, South London Jazz, and a healthy dollop of Bossa Nova, makes such a smooth and delicious listen.
Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer
- Hey I mentioned this guy in last month's AOTM! His ability to make abstract composition feel so easy to listen and fall into never ceases to amaze me. This one in particular feels like wandering through a hyper saturated alien landscape. Those who loved the animated show Scavengers Reign will love this album.
Danny Brown - Stardust
- Getting out of rehab, immediately befriending a bunch of transgender women, and then making an album entirely devoted to platforming their art has to be one of the realest moves of the year. It definitely feels less like a Danny Brown album and more like Danny Brown saying, "look how cool my friends are", but I think there's so much charm in that. Just an overall blast to listen to.
Ben Quad - Wisher
- One of the most fun emo albums I've heard all year. Fans of the new Arm's Length record, saturdays at your place, and Hot Mulligan will love this.
Albums from previous months that I only just now found
Alison's Halo - Skywide - EP
- This is their first release in 27 years and I have no idea how they still sound the same. There's this analog warmth that old shoegaze has that modern adopters of the genre have mostly left behind but it is back in full force with this EP. I cant wait for their next full project