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Caprisongs

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Caprisongs
Mixtape by
FKA Twigs
Released14 January 2022 (2022-01-14)
Recorded2020–21
Studio
  • London
  • Hackney
  • Los Angeles
  • New York
  • Jamaica
Genre
Length48:10
Label
Producer
FKA Twigs chronology
Magdalene
(2019) 		Caprisongs
(2022) 		Eusexua
(2025)
Singles from Caprisongs
  1. "Tears in the Club"
    Released: 16 December 2021

Caprisongs (stylised in all caps) is the debut mixtape by English singer-songwriter FKA Twigs. It was released on 14 January 2022 through Young and Atlantic Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Pa Salieu, the Weeknd, Shygirl, Dystopia, Rema, Daniel Caesar, Jorja Smith, and Unknown T.[1][2][3] The production is handled by el Guincho, who co-executive produced the mixtape alongside Twigs, as well as Arca, Cirkut, and Mike Dean, among others.[3] The mixtape was supported by one single, "Tears in the Club", which features the Weeknd, and one promotional single, "Jealousy", which features Rema.

Background and promotion

[edit]

In October 2020, FKA Twigs took part in a virtual chat on the Grammy Museum's Programs at Home series. During the chat, she revealed that she was "just finishing" a new album that she made largely in collaboration with el Guincho, and with other collaborators, many of whom she met for the first time via FaceTime calls.[4] Later in November 2020, British singer Dua Lipa hosted a livestream concert, titled Studio 2054, in which Twigs was invited to play as a guest. The two teased an upcoming collaboration, titled "Why Don't You Love Me", during Twigs' performance.[5]

On 25 January 2021, Twigs took part in a podcast episode with Louis Theroux and discussed her previous known relationships and an upcoming album, stating "It was all via the internet...I have more collaborations and features on this album than I ever had before."[6] In February, she described the album as a "going out" record, and revealed it would feature collaborations with Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema, British hip-hop up-and-comer Pa Salieu.[7] A few days later, Twigs, interviewed by British actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel, revealed that she had changed the undisclosed, original title of the upcoming record due to a well-known artist titling a non-musical project the same thing.[8] In an interview with Vogue in May, Twigs revealed the album does not have a set release date, but wanted to release it in the northern summer of 2021.[9]

Twigs joined the official FKA Twigs Discord server in September 2021, and shared details about the upcoming record. Twigs confirmed the project to be a mixtape, and listed el Guincho, Koreless, and Arca, as well as new collaborators, such as Cirkut, Mike Dean, as producers for the project.[10] She additionally teased a collaboration with Swedish rapper Yung Lean on Instagram.[11]

The lead single of the mixtape, "Tears in the Club", which features Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, was released with a music video on 16 December 2021. The sole promotional single, "Jealousy", which features Nigerian singer Rema, was released on 13 January 2022, only one day prior to the release of the project. The mixtape marked her first release under Atlantic Records. The mixtape was officially announced on 7 January 2022, a week before the scheduled release date. Coinciding with the release of the mixtape on 14 January 2022, Twigs released a music video for "Ride the Dragon",[12] which was a guerrilla dance video shot in Hackney, London.[13] A number of other 'Caprivids' were released after this in the same style.

Composition

[edit]

Caprisongs is seen as a departure from Twigs' previous work and a shift towards less experimental and more mainstream sound.[14] It is described as a work of "visceral" art pop and "unbridled" avant-pop music.[15][16] Its lyrics are influenced by R&B and hip hop, while its beats are influenced by trap, drum'n'bass, and dancehall.[17] "Darjeeling" features "a skittering harp" which "becomes the basis for a banging grime beat".[18] "Pamplemousse" is a hyperpop song that recalls Charli XCX and Sophie, while "Jealousy" contains elements of Afrobeats.[16] The album features spoken word interludes from Twigs' friends and collaborators, and one featuring a fan ask about her unreleased Dua Lipa duet, "Why Don't You Love Me?"[19]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[20]
Metacritic80/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
Clash7/10[18]
Evening Standard[19]
The Guardian[17]
The Independent[23]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[24]
NME[25]
The Observer[26]
Pitchfork7.8/10[27]
Rolling Stone[16]

Caprisongs was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 17 reviews.[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]

Helen Brown for The Independent called the mixtape "an often exquisitely crafted sequence of grooves" that's "elegantly laced together by [T]wigs's sad angel voice".[23] Julyssa Lopez of Rolling Stone wrote, "The rawness of her previous work is part of what makes the unbridled avant pop on her new mixtape, Caprisongs, such an epic thrill. [...] Throughout her career, Twigs has morphed R&B wisps and electronic abstractions into highly visual concept art, and although the music on Caprisongs is her most buoyant, she doesn't sacrifice her creative nonconformity or intimacy."[16] David Smyth of Evening Standard stated that "the tone on Caprisongs is predominantly bright and relaxed" and eventually concluded that, even though "she's closer to the mainstream pop world than ever before here", "it doesn't sound like a compromise. There's still plenty of sonic weirdness in the corners, and she's surely earned some time in the sun."[19] Cat Zhang of Pitchfork thought the mixtape is a "playful and adventurous flex", writing that Caprisongs is the "sound of [T]wigs in the driver's seat as she traverses her own curiosities and instincts; [...] It is intrepid and light, the image of a woman attuned to planetary alignments but casting her own fate."[27] Heather Phares from AllMusic claimed that, "Though Caprisongs nods to more mainstream sounds than her previous work, Barnett can still make any trend or genre her own."[22]

LaTesha Harris of NPR called the mixtape a "[t]riumphant and external [...] milestone of significant personal and professional transformation", but criticized the vocal manipulation as "too robotic", "specifically on 'Minds of Men' and 'Pamplemousse', [which sound] as if Amazon's Alexa downloaded poetry software and delivered the result on loop."[14] Alex Rigotti of Clash highlighted the influence of Björk's 2001 album Vespertine, "whose microbeats, plucky harps and music boxes are scattered over various tracks", concluding that, "[w]hilst it's nice to hear a change of pace for [T]wigs (and to, on occasion, genuinely hear her laugh), there's not as much focus on experimentation and expression, which could disappoint some exacting fans."[18] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian opined, "There's a lot that's laudable about Caprisongs. [...] But equally, it's something that ultimately impedes your enjoyment of the album. As a soundtrack for the start of a night, it doesn't quite pan out as you might hope."[17]

Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
A.V. Club The 25 Best Albums of 2022 — [28]
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2022 25 [29]
Clash Clash's Albums of The Year 42 [30]
Entertainment Weekly The 10 Best Albums of 2022 3 [31]
Esquire The 25 Best Albums of 2022 — [32]
Flood Magazine The Best Albums of 2022 15 [33]
GQ The Best Albums of 2022 — [34]
NPR The 50 Best Albums of 2022 17 [35]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2022 43 [36]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 24 [37]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2022 8 [38]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2022 4 [39]

Track listing

[edit]
Caprisongs track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Ride the Dragon"Tahliah Barnett
3:08
2."Honda" (featuring Pa Salieu)
  • Barnett
  • Colin Towns
  • Díaz-Reixa
  • Felix Joseph
  • Alastair O'Donnell
  • FKA Twigs
  • El Guincho
  • AoD
  • Joseph
3:21
3."Meta Angel"Barnett
  • El Guincho
  • Halm
  • FKA Twigs[a]
  • Koreless[a]
4:19
4."Tears in the Club" (featuring the Weeknd)
3:16
5."Oh My Love"
  • Barnett
  • Billy Walsh
3:45
6."Pamplemousse"Barnett
  • Barnett
  • Díaz-Reixa
  • Halm
  • FKA Twigs
  • El Guincho
  • Halm[b]
  • Koreless[b]
1:38
7."Caprisongs Interlude"BarnettBarnett
  • Jonny Leslie
  • FKA Twigs
0:25
8."Lightbeamers"Barnett
3:31
9."Papi Bones" (featuring Shygirl)
3:40
10."Which Way" (featuring Dystopia)Barnett
  • Mike Dean
  • Koreless[b]
2:02
11."Jealousy" (featuring Rema)
2:39
12."Careless" (featuring Daniel Caesar)
3:36
13."Minds of Men"Barnett
  • Díaz-Reixa
  • Harris
  • Alexander Bak
  • El Guincho
  • Harris
  • Bak[a]
  • Fakeguido[b]
3:24
14."Track Girl Interlude"Barnett
  • Koreless
  • Ellis
1:42
15."Darjeeling" (featuring Jorja Smith and Unknown T)
  • El Guincho
  • Psymun
  • BKay
3:03
16."Christi Interlude"Christi Meshell
  • Roberts
Koreless1:04
17."Thank You Song"Barnett
  • Ghersi
  • Jesso
Arca3:28
Total length:48:10

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a drum producer
  • All tracks are stylised in all lowercase.

Sample credits

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

[edit]
  • Rob Moose – strings (track 3)
  • Kash Powell – additional vocals (track 3), vocals (track 14)
  • Roxy Lee – additional vocals (track 3), vocals (track 14)
  • Lous & The Yakuza – background vocals (track 5)
  • Jemma Mayo – background vocals (track 5)
  • Abigail Sakari – background vocals (track 5)
  • Suzannah Pettigrew – background vocals (track 5)
  • Sara El Dabi – background vocals (track 5)
  • Alejandra Luisa Smits – background vocals (track 5)
  • Matty Healy – additional vocals (track 6)
  • Louis – additional vocals (track 6)
  • Kaner Flex – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Movie Star Johnny – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Dystopia – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Tolani – vocals (track 14)
  • Shoneye – vocals (track 14)
  • Irene Agbontean – vocals (track 14)
  • Christi Meshell – vocals (track 16)

Technical

[edit]
  • FKA Twigs – executive production
  • El Guincho – executive production
  • Jonny Leslie – engineering
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Mike Dean – mastering, mixing (tracks 1–3, 6–8, 10–17)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (track 4)
  • Bryce Bordone – engineering (track 4)
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 5, 9)
  • Jacob Richards – mixing assistance (tracks 5, 9)
  • Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance (tracks 5, 9)
  • DJ Riggins – mixing assistance (tracks 5, 9)

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Caprisongs
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[40] 65
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[41] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[42] 124
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[43] 48
French Albums (SNEP)[44] 126
Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 82
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[46] 37
Scottish Albums (OCC)[47] 23
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[48] 64
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 30
UK Albums (OCC)[50] 42
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[51] 8
US Billboard 200[52] 91
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[53] 9
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[54] 1

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kreps, Daniel (6 January 2022). "FKA Twigs Announces New Mixtape 'Caprisongs' Arriving Next Week". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. ^ "FKA Twigs announces new mixtape 'CAPRISONGS'". NME. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b "FKA twigs Announces New Mixtape Caprisongs". Pitchfork. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ Bloom, Madison (11 October 2020). "FKA twigs Says She Made a New Album During Quarantine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Watch Dua Lipa & FKA twigs Tease Their New Song in Studio 2054 Livestream". Stereogum. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. ^ Theroux, Louis (25 January 2021). "Grounded with Louis Theroux – 19. FKA twigs". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  7. ^ Carlos, Marjon (17 February 2021). "'It's A Miracle I Came Out Alive'". Elle US. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  8. ^ Coel, Michaela (24 February 2021). "Joyride: the renaissance of FKA twigs". The Face. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  9. ^ Hobbs, Julia (18 May 2021). "Here's Why Summer 2021 Belongs To FKA Twigs". British Vogue. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  10. ^ "FKA Twigs details upcoming mixtape via Discord". Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "secrets 🔜 - FKA twigs via Instagram". instagram.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  12. ^ Martin, Annie (14 January 2022). "FKA twigs releases 'Caprisongs' mixtape, 'Ride the Dragon' music video". United Press International. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  13. ^ "CAPRISONGS ALERT TWIGLETS ASSEMBLE!!". 15 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ a b Harris, LaTesha (17 January 2022). "On 'CAPRISONGS,' FKA twigs vibrates at her highest frequency". NPR. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  15. ^ Jones, Abby (13 January 2022). "'CAPRISONGS' Review: FKA Twigs Recenters Herself". Consequence. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d Lopez, Julyssa (13 January 2022). "FKA Twigs' 'Caprisongs' Is an Unbridled Thrill". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d Petridis, Alexis (13 January 2022). "FKA twigs: Caprisongs review - wild invention let down by weak songs". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Rigotti, Alex (14 January 2022). "FKA twigs - Caprisongs". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  19. ^ a b c Smyth, David (13 January 2022). "FKA twigs - Caprisongs review: Even performance artists wanna have fun". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  20. ^ a b "CAPRISONGS by FKA Twigs reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Caprisongs [Mixtape] by FKA twigs Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  22. ^ a b Phares, Heather (14 January 2022). "Caprisongs - FKA twigs | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  23. ^ a b Brown, Helen (13 January 2022). "FKA twigs review, CAPRISONGS: Between beautiful melodies, her scars are deeply felt". The Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  24. ^ Taylor, Ims (14 January 2022). "FKA twigs expands her collection of calling cards on the dreamily constructed Caprisongs mixtape". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  25. ^ Hunt, El (14 January 2022). "FKA twigs – 'Caprisongs' mixtape review: the brightest, poppiest music of her career". NME. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  26. ^ Empire, Kitty (15 January 2022). "FKA twigs: Caprisongs review – party tunes and hard-won notes to self". The Observer. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  27. ^ a b Zhang, Cat. "FKA twigs: Caprisongs Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  28. ^ "The 25 best albums of 2022 (so far)". The A.V. Club. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  29. ^ Billboard Staff (6 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  30. ^ ClashMusic (15 December 2022). "Clash Albums Of The Year 2022 | Features". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  31. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney; Greenblatt, Leah; Lamphier, Jason; Myers, Owen; December 08, Allaire Nuss; EST, 2022 at 07:25 PM. "The 10 best albums of 2022". EW.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ McNeal, Bria; Holmes, Dave; Vain, Madison (14 December 2022). "The 25 Best Albums of 2022". Esquire. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  33. ^ "The Best Albums of 2022". FLOOD. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  34. ^ "2022 was a killer year for music. These were the 29 best albums of the year". British GQ. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  35. ^ N; P; R (12 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". NPR. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  36. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". pastemagazine.com. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  37. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  38. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2022". Rolling Stone. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  39. ^ Slant Staff (7 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  40. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 January 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1664. Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 January 2022. p. 6.
  41. ^ "Ultratop.be – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Ultratop.be – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  43. ^ "FKA Twigs Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  44. ^ "Lescharts.com – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  45. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography FKA Twigs". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  46. ^ "Charts.nz – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  47. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  48. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  49. ^ "Swisscharts.com – FKA Twigs – Caprisongs". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  50. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  51. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  52. ^ "FKA Twigs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  53. ^ "FKA Twigs Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  54. ^ "FKA Twigs Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
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