GENRE; Pop/ R&B
REVIEWED; 18 November, 2025
RATING; 7.3
FKA Twigs’ EUSEXUA Afterglow arrives as a reflective and daring companion to her earlier 2025 release, EUSEXUA. Though initially conceived as a deluxe edition, it’s since evolved into its own wholly-fledged project — a sonic portrait of the emotional comedown after a high-intensity night, or as Twigs herself describes, “the soundtrack for the hours after the rave.”
Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the album spans 11 tracks, and is produced by a roster including Mechatok, Illangelo, Kelvin Krash, and Twigs herself. The production is lush and experimental: throbbing four-on-the-floor beats mingle with glitched synths, euphoric but dissonant textures, and moments of fragile vulnerability.
From the opening “Love Crimes,” with its pounding drums and raw energy, to “Hard,” which balances Twigs’s breathy vocals with elastic, skittering rhythms, there’s a sense that she’s chasing both euphoria and reckoning. NME’s review praises this duality, noting how the album warps familiar dance rhythms into “a delirious, surreal haze.” Standout track “Sushi” leans into carefree joie de vivre, channeling NYC ballroom energy and pure spontaneity.
But Afterglow isn’t just about the party — there’s introspection too. On quieter numbers like “Slushy,” Twigs drifts into ambient reflection, while “Lost All My Friends” delivers an eerie, haunted feel, evoking the pressure of isolation even in a crowded space. Fans on Reddit point to the album’s experimental production and rich textures as part of its charm:
“So many career‑highlight bops … the robotic, computerized sound is part of its charm.”
Still, some feel it doesn’t reach the emotional depths of EUSEXUA. As NME notes, the prior album’s darker humor and raw messiness are harder to find here.
Critically, the reception is strong yet measured. Metacritic shows a generally favorable consensus, with critics praising the album’s cohesion and sonic ambition. The Skinny gives it 4/5 stars, calling it “hedonistic and messy,” but also “maximalist” in a way that feels freeing rather than overindulgent.
In sum, EUSEXUA Afterglow may not eclipse its predecessor, but it deepens Twigs’ exploration of desire, self, and the lingering pulse of the night. It’s an artist unafraid to unwind, experiment, and invite us into her after-party state of mind.