So much is written about Tahliah Barnett’s position as a counter-cultural effigy via the way of sexuality and a fiercely anti-music establishment school of thought when it comes to image that it seems almost like running the mill to re-hash old musings. At the same time, it’s difficult to talk about the impact of FKA Twigs’ music without asserting the prevalence of these things. For her new EP titled M3LL155X (apparently ‘Melissa’ is Twigs’ “personal female energy”, though she insists that “it’s not a weird alter ego. It’s just my way of separating it from myself”) the emphasis seems to be on dissipation and detachment, both from reality and as an alternative to major label superiority in modern pop music. Just as Twigs’ music in the past has embellished a sense of identity that’s entirely singular, she uses and entwines tangibly human emotions with an other-wordly kind of artistry and literature.
Maybe more so than last year’s LP1, M3LL155X resounds as a cultural statement because of the artistic endeavours and social context that surround it. The production, entirely contributed by Boots, displays a modicum less of diversity but still entails odd-ball twists and unsettling atmospheres, which are especially important on a track like “Glass & Patron” when you consider it was the first single to be released. The track flips into a low-rumbling, rattling wonk with layers of peculiar synthesis though still remains largely melody-less save for Twigs’ vocals. That serves as a nice precedent for the point that Twigs is probably the only artist who would be emphatic enough to release that track as a lead single and still be lauded by BBC Radio 1’s day time playlist. Artists like The Weeknd have come close, but in terms of visionary music Twigs is Zeus to Abel Tesfaye’s Russell Brand.
On “Figure 8” the dystopian deep synths provide a backbone for Twigs’ lyrical uncertainty and desperation to get away from the world she has been consumed by; “Mass appeal, I feel in 10 breaths, it’s a miracle we’re still alive”. Her disdain for established gender roles and sexually social admittance is played with in more illustrious style here too. On the slightly more conventional, almost trap-flavoured “In Time” she confidently asserts on the hook that “when I’m holding you down you’ll be picking a fight”, painting the line between control and love as sometimes unclear. On “I’m Your Doll” (a song Barnett initially wrote when she was 18 but has since re-worked) she’s both submissive and commanding, simultaneously in the driver’s seat both physically and in terms of wider-scale self worth. On the aforementioned “Glass & Patron” she repeatedly sardonically asks “am I Dancing sexy yet?” before offering a huge middle finger to the idealistic voyeurism she’s often subject to as she asks “will you fuck me while I stare at the sun?”.
As a final salient note, “Mothercreep” enforces notions of sisterhood and family in both a traditional and platonic (like a group of school girls might consider themselves) sense. M3LL155X is remarkable not only for the amount it manages to pack into its five tracks, but also because it seems like a more direct and human tirade against societal norms that aren’t being questioned enough by artists who have achieved FKA Twigs level of mainstream popularity and beyond. It will ideally only work to strengthen Twigs’ presence.
Rating: 4/5