FKA Twigs new mixtape – Caprisongs – is out everywhere tomorrow. Inspired by her zodiac sign, the 17-song mixtape is set for release tomorrow, featuring the new collaboration with The Weeknd ‘tears in the club.’
As we draw to the close of Capricorn season – around 19th-20th January – British electronic R&B artist FKA Twigs is celebrating her zodiac season with the release of her new mixtape Caprisongs out everywhere tomorrow. With two studio albums under her belt, Twigs has become an icon in the pop and dance realm, renowned for her stunning visuals paired with powerfully emotive music and potent beats. Caprisongs is a delight, infusing sensual and smooth electronic R&B beats with an easy lyricism and cinematic orchestration. The project runs the gamut from runs the gamut from mammoth dance beats to an infusion of choral, tender vocal moments, peppered with modern embellishments and all the futuristic, innovative sounds that her fans have come to crave. There is a power in Twigs’ in her ability to constantly reinvent and this mixtape is a testament to that ethos. ‘it’s like elevator music but you’re going to the 50th floor’ – well try the stratosphere here, where Twigs shows her limitless capability to push the boundaries of her sound, into weird and innovative new directions that somehow manage to not feel incongruous.
As ever, caprisongs stands apart in its attention to detail, Twigs’ ability to include her vocal as another instrument in the mix of her tracks – rather than relying on it as the sole focus – sometimes at the fore and sometimes toward the back of the layering. So, on ‘ride the dragon’ the angelic, pure quality of her vocals remains at the fore, whereas on the previously released ‘tears in the club (feat. the weeknd)’ the drums and beats are brought to the fore, with vocals used as background lacing rather than the immediate focus for the track – mirroring the idea of the song in chasing away the memory of an ex and giving into a beat. ‘I wanna get you out of my hips, my thighs / My hair, my eyes, tonight’s the night / I told the universe I’m gonna fuck your lies / Then cut all ties and get high as a satellite (higher).’ There’s a delightfully compelling retro feel to the track infused with futuristic beats, that sees the pair sing off about giving into their overwhelming emotions. rich millefeuille of multitracked backing vocals, a wall of sound made possible by technology. Elsewhere, there’s an almost 00s nostalgic feel to the vocals – ‘oh my love’ is reminiscent of Lily Allen or Kate Nash, as Twigs pines to a lover who pushes her away. This track is an easy standout, featuring an interlude from a friend where she is given a reminder of her own worth that gives an easy, pensive and needed moment. ‘f*** crying over these stupid boys, who don’t even recognise the worth in themselves.’
As ever, on caprisongs the beats are hefty, as on ‘honda’ feat pa salieu and the dripping ‘pamplemousse,’ but nowhere is this more dizzyingly obvious than on ‘papi bones’ – a surefire future single and readymade for the club scene. With a glorious hit of glistening hooks and futuristic beats delivering sonic excellence, caprisongs continues FKA Twigs’ ability to innovate her sound, displaying her sonic prowess, sampling and playing with her immensely textured sound, her vocals in a graceful convergence of genres. Sonically, caprisongs is weird, but it is compellingly so and more than anything the project sounds like Twigs’ having fun in her experimentation with her sound, her vocal and her brand. Given what Twigs has endured over the past several years in her personal life, for fans to hear her having such fun in her music can only be refreshing and hopeful.
