Accompanied by an artsy music video in which Twigs gives
birth to rainbow ribbons in the back of a van amongst other surreal scenes
straight out of Salvador Dali’s nightmares, this latest 16-minute EP sees the
London-born experimental singer continuing to alienate pop fans in pursuit of
her own weird and wonderful style.
Her 2014 album, LP1, witnessed her rasping cryptic sexual lyrics over abstract and
minimal beats. This latest EP sees her ultimately getting darker, becoming less
cute and more creepy, less sexual and arguably more feminist. ‘Doll’ is a
statement on the way in which women’s bodies are treated, whilst ‘Glass and
Patron’ is seemingly all about how women’s bodies are viewed, a twisted version
of Madonna’s 'Vogue' featuring the hook: ‘hold
that pose for me’. Twigs voice meanwhile feels more manipulated – pitch-shifted
at points and sped up and slowed down to create a more disorientating listen.
Adding to the unsettled atmosphere are the instrumentals that are even more complex than before. There are no steady beats, no simple structured songs like ‘Two
Weeks’ on her last album. Mazes of digital percussion and glitchy electronic sounds
make up the beats instead. Catchiness suffers as a result, but the complexity does give
way to eerie suspense, each track shuffling along into the gloom uncertainly.
Ultimately its this unpredictability and unique flair that makes M3LL155A constantly engaging. I can’t wait to hear Twigs evolve even further with time (she’ll have to rename
herself FKA branches).
★★★★★
HEAR THE WHOLE EP HERE: