What is “EUSEXUA?” Combining the words “euphoria” and “sexual,” it is a term invented by pop artist FKA twigs to describe a state of being. On Sept. 13, following her most recent genre-bending mixtape, “Caprisongs,” in 2022, twigs released the first and titular single for her album, “EUSEXUA,” which is expected to be released in January. A high-concept project that is set to be a masterpiece, twigs calls it her “opus.”
In an interview with Vogue, the London singer described eusexua as “…that feeling of when you’ve been out all night and you lose seven hours to music, and you look at your phone and you think, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s 8:00 in the morning.’ And last time you looked, it was 1:00. It’s because you’ve been in a state of eusexua.” In other words, eusexua is an extreme euphoric state in which we transcend the human form. It’s weird, it’s raunchy, it’s cathartic- it’s intriguing.
This single is a discovery and a confessional wrapped into one. It starts with a pulsating, heart-like beat that will follow us throughout the song. FKA twigs is looking for the words to describe this feeling deep inside her. She directs the question towards the listener: Do you feel alone? This is swiftly followed by the reassurance that we are not alone as this is not an experience individualized to just twigs– we all can experience eusexua.
The singer utilizes a meek, timid voice in the song’s first half as if she is being held back. Suddenly, two minutes and 43 seconds into the song, the bass kicks in, and the listener is swarmed by techno beats that float in between twigs’ now powerful voice. A transformation occurs three minutes in, and that’s what eusexua is. We have transcended into a new form: unrestricted.
Throughout the track, twigs milks this ebb and flow of rhythm in the chorus line, “And if they ask, you say you feel it, but don’t call it love.” It is evocative of a mid-2000s synth that hasn’t been heard since Cascada.
On her Discord server, twigs stated that the techno music scene in Prague is a significant inspiration for her forthcoming album, which is an accurate description. Every time I put my headphones in my ears and press play, I am transported to some small club in Germany covered in body glitter and other people’s sweat. For four minutes and 23 seconds, I am defying the laws of physics—I am not here.
The culture surrounding club music is not a new concept that artists have used to market their music to audiences. This summer we got to delve more into that with Charli xcx’s “BRAT.” Songs like “Club classics” and “Spring breakers” remind us of why the unleashed wildness of the party girl aesthetic is so appealing to young audiences. The transition from Charli’s fun synth summer album into twigs’ esoteric techno fall release evokes the spirit of eusexua itself.
Listening to this song on your phone does not lend it enough credit. This is a song meant to be blasted on the speakers of a dingy, dark club while you’re dancing away your social anxiety.
According to twigs, eusexua is the pinnacle of human experience. And if this is just a fraction of what is to come in the winter with a full release, the bar has been set really high for me. twigs leaves us with a mating call at the end of “Eusexua” that purifies us and reminds us we are not alone.
Rating: 9/10
