FKA twigs is back from her opus ‘Magdalene’ with the powerhouse that is ‘The Weeknd’, fresh from his own opus ‘After Hours’, with the trap banger ‘Tears in the Club’.

I’ll be honest, when I first put on FKA twig’s newest single, I had a hard time believing it was her until I recognized that very distinct vocal delivery. ‘Tears in the Club’ is an extremely out-of-field sound for the artist, which is extremely admirable. A musician should always change and evolve as part of their artistic journey, and ‘Tears in the Club’ is absolutely that. So how does it hold up?

The audience the song is aimed for is in its title – this would sound wonderful in a loud club with the bass rumbling in your chest. The heavily deeply-autotuned voices of both FKA twigs and The Weeknd serve the sound wonderfully. The chorus is the best part of the song; its repetitive nature and catchy melody will get stuck in your head for days on end. The trap hats sprinkled with the constant sixteenth-note hi-hats are flavorful, and the deep 808s punch cleanly through the mix. The Weeknd’s verse is a wonderful addition, especially once you hear his voice providing ad libs in the chorus alongside FKA twigs. Their voices work wonderfully as a back-and-forth, and even better as a harmony in the song’s short bridge. The section, however, subtly hypes up the final chorus in such an elegant way that you almost don’t see it coming.

‘Tears in the Club’ is an interesting new step in FKA Twigs’ discography, and though it might alienate longtime fans, the progression in her musical career is what’s most important, coupled with the addictive and accessible nature of the single. The Weeknd’s contributions are a nice touch, and he serves the song beautifully. It’s nice to see FKA Twigs releasing new music, and sheds a light on the future albums to come.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.