Today, FKA Twigs released her EP titled M3LL155X under Young Turks record label. Earlier in the year, the singer shared “Figure 8,” hinting towards the new album, although no one had an exact release date in mind. The album features five tracks total and was released alongside an extensive sixteen-minute music video, an amalgamation of four of her own self-directed videos.
The singer/dancer’s first full-length album, LP1, received a high 8.8 rating from Pitchfork just last year. In his review, Philip Sherburne characterized Tahliah Barnett’s sound:
“As futuristic as her music is, no single technology dominates. Elastic digital effects brush up against 808s, and icy synth stabs share space with acoustic bass. The common denominator is the crackling sense of dread…”
The trip hop artist maintains this same experimental sound in the EP. The video begins as a woman resembling the human form of an anglerfish approaches the camera to an eerie bass beat accompanied by clicking and a ringing bell. It’s all frankly, and surely intentionally, uncomfortable.
In a press release, Barnett described the underlying theme of the accompanying video. She calls it “an aggressive statement conceptualising the process of feeling pregnant with pain, birthing creativity and liberation.”
“In Time” is the catchiest song on the EP with a minimally experimental hip-hop beat. As Twigs sings the song in her video, she dons an all denim outfit, loose pants, and Timberland boots perhaps referencing the early 90’s female rap movement, partially jumpstarted by artists such as Aaliyah. Each video features FKA Twigs in a new light, expanding her scope of diversity and talent.
