Back to the homeland for FKA twigs, who returned to her native Gloucestershire valleys for this second album “written from the heart”. “When in doubt, I just follow my gut and try to be around nature, go back to the Cotswolds.” Indeed, this is the storyline of the video for Home With You, where the former dancer leaves an overheated club charged with pheromones, and goes to a cottage to rest and recuperate, contrasting the purity of the countryside with the Gomorrah that is London. This introspective time in the singer’s life led her to take an interest in the story of Mary Magdalene, hence the name of the album, notably the way in which the history books have manipulated the story of Jesus’ companion.
Musically, FKA twigs stays true to the “post-R&B” style, with her voice remaining the main attraction for an album which features production from Skrillex, Nicolas Jaar and Noah Goldstein (Drake, Teyana Taylor, Bon Iver…) and a feature from rapper Future on Holy Terrain. From her electro chapel, FKA twigs, sounding increasingly Björk-esque, continues to defy the norms of pop music (especially on the deconstructed Fallen Alien, the most experimental track on the album) and sighs into our ears, like a private concert from the confessional. Amen. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz