Ella Sage (she/they)
FKA twigs’s most recent album EUSEXUA is fast-paced, electropop gospel. It’s a self-described “love letter to dance music”, and the album stands on business—in itself a delectable reprieve from personal and global hardships, embracing the ‘just keep dancing’ spirit of the music it is inspired by and written in celebration of.
‘Room of Fools’, track five of the album, captures the essence of a broken girl club night, of becoming something more than you’ve ever been on the dance floor. I see it as an encapsulation of what the album stands for, of relearning what it is to be and rediscovering yourself. While some artists dive into slower, more stripped-back tracks to trace this personal and intimate journey, twigs finds herself surrounded by metallic synths and warping breakdowns, confused but holding fast to the knowledge that whatever ‘it’ is, “it feels nice”.
‘Room of Fools’ encourages listeners to use their bodies to reclaim their inner selves, to dance and become untethered as they heal. The track is incredibly fresh and unpredictable, mirroring the dizziness of the “unconscious flow form” twigs sings of, diving into a Björk-esque vocal performance that reiterates the feeling of everything fracturing and melting away, of everything you know and everything you are being held in one moment.
Edie Lane (she/her)
The only time I have felt fully captivated by a TikTok campaign is when I stumbled into the magical world of Ratbag and their latest single ‘Look what you’re doing to me’. It is the horrifically relatable story of sapphic yearning between a vampire and her human lover. Historically, vampires have been closely tied to the queer community (Carmilla for example was a Sapphic love story and one of the first vampire novels) so I love to see this motif being continued. There is also something really fitting and compelling about love being so all-consuming it can only be compared to supernatural death. The lyrics are filled with grotesque images of grinding gums and touching bones but somehow Ratbag manages to convey these lyrics in a gentle and caring voice.
What really stood out to me in this song, and for all of Ratbag’s discography, is the whole creative vision, from the album cover to the music video to promotional TikTok. I get the impression that they aren’t just marketing ploys for more streams but actually to fully immerse the listener into their world. For this song they post photos of the alleged love letters written between the two characters and the album cover is a painting of the two embracing. The whole thing feels super thoughtful and I hope that hard work will be appreciated by more than just a local audience this year!
harold coutts (they/them)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a psychedelic rock band with origins in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, now based in Portland, Oregon in the United States. Frontman Ruben Nielson is joined by his brother Kody and bassist Jacob Portrait to explore the psychedelic sonic landscape at their fingertips.
‘Earth 1’ is the first offering from their second instrumental album, titled IC-02 Bogotá. The first, IC-01 Hanoi, recorded entirely in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, featured 28 minutes of experimental jazz initially recorded during sessions for their other 2018 album Sex & Food. This new album follows the same pattern, recorded entirely in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. ‘Earth 1’ is eleven minutes of erratic percussion, pulsating rhythms, and flutes reminiscent of André 3000’s 2023 flute-focused instrumental album New Blue Sun.
The song begs you to dance to it, lost in the cadence of a hot summer’s night with cicadas chanting at the edge of earshot. It wants footwork to stir up dust, and sweat to glue your clothes to your flesh. Get up and let the music command you as the melodic keys divulge in crescendos of melody at the end of the track. The lack of vocalisation begs you to sing your own ruminations as the song builds and builds and builds.
This is just the first of eight tracks that make up the full album, due out on the 28th of February 2025, With titles that feature only three locations, Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld. Does this album want you to ascend or descend as you see fit? Does it wish you to find a future in the afterlife? Find out in a matter of days.
