FKA twigs - MAGDALENE ALBUM REVIEW

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FKA twigs has always been one of the most intriguing artists I’ve heard. The first time I heard her on a track was on A$AP Rocky’s 2018 album Testing, on the track “Fukk Sleep,” which also happened to be her first feature on a different song, believe it or not. As the buildup began to her second album MAGDALENE, it became clear to me that FKA twigs was gonna be someone to watch out for. To prepare, I listened to her projects like LP1 and her M3LL155X EP, and I loved the glitchy sound that was peppered throughout her songs. It seemed like MAGDALENE would have continued that song, but with a little extra flair. Let’s get into it!

MAGDALENE is a glitch pop record with the emphasis on the word ‘glitch.’ With producers like Skrillex, Cashmere Cat, Oneohtrix Point Never, among countless others, the behind-the-scenes power is very high. There is only one feature on the record (the first feature on an FKA twigs record), and it belongs to Future, the one artist that I’d never think would be on an FKA twigs track, which happens to be one of my favorite tracks on the record, “holy terrain.” All of the songs on MAGDALENE show off fragility and vulnerability in a way I’ve never heard before, and it’s quite impressive to me. It has great execution, but the one thing that stops me from absolutely loving MAGDALENE is the overly-dreadful feeling of the album. It feels like too much at times and that stops me from going back to the record as a whole any time soon.

I feel like MAGDALENE isn’t intended for the faint of heart. Its look at feminity and sexuality is raw and untamed, but it also feels powerful. A good majority of the tracks are swallowed in darkness, and that’s a blessing and a curse. In terms of storytelling and writing, it’s brilliant. When it comes to a good song, too much of it can bring down its meaning, and that’s the failing of MAGDALENE to me. It’s worth listening to, but I wasn’t blown away by it.


7/10


Stream MAGDALENE here

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