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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Pretty Much Amazing

It is unique music at a unique level—rarely do we encounter someone this young and creative who is also this technically skilled.

100
The Independent

With M3LL155X – pronounced “Melissa”, and apparently code for her “personal female energy” – FKA twigs confirms the evidence furnished by last year’s LP1 that she is the most dynamic and imaginative young talent working in British pop music today.

90
Drowned in Sound
On this EP, she taunts from the catwalk, before a million prying eyes, and she’s got every one of ‘em on their knees.
90
The Needle Drop
UK art pop artist FKA twigs drops a stellar EP outta nowhere.
86
Pitchfork
A glassy-voiced singer refracting melody through diffuse electronic beats, twigs takes the familiar R&B star as her avatar, but her presentation is more complex: her ideas mar beauty and mine power, and exalt sex without exotifying.
80
PopMatters

The effect of the album is soothing and challenging all at once; full of complex messaging yet equally suitable as backdrop for studying; worthy of lingering concentration on each and every note or dozing off to on an airplane.

80
NME
Named after what she calls her “personal female energy”, the five tracks on ‘M3LL155X’ feel like parts of a whole, musically and thematically connected in a way you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a between-albums EP.
80
SPIN

On M3LL155X, she does seem to be growing stronger, testing the boundaries between light and unfathomable darkness, the breathtaking and the nauseating. 

80
DIY
She’s arguably the most focused, creativity-fuelled act to emerge from the UK for some time, and we’re only just beginning to see the results.
80
Billboard

The songs lack centers, or even hooks, and aren't easily assimilated, but unmistakable themes emerge: Through a feverish haze of sounds and sights, M3LL155X asks big questions about femininity, sex and power.

80
NOW Magazine

It's twigs' most experimental offering yet, and a good sign she won't be streamlining her sound for something more accessible (and less exciting) on her sophomore full-length.

80
Spectrum Culture
By pushing her sound to its outer limits, she’s created a record that sounds at once familiar and exciting.
75
Consequence of Sound

At a time when twigs’ reality is becoming more and more public ... the challenge of teasing audience expectations and controlling an artistic persona would seem far greater. With this EP, twigs pulls it off expertly, fracturing and blurring her musical self.

BradTasteMusic
90

A beautiful, haunting project that goes through vulnerability, abuse, and transformation.

This one took some extra effort to fully understand as the poetry is woven in such an otherworldly way. It’s one of this projects strongest upsides, keeping it interesting with every listen. Once you understand these tracks, they become obvious with further listens. A great example of “the more listens the better”.

I can’t even begin with the sound of this thing. It’s ... read more

sophia_cursed
85

Revenge, jealousy, sex, submission, motherhood, freedom and Tahlilah with the same level of excellence as always.

M3LL1X5 is a dark, disturbing, uncomfortable (in the good sense of the word) EP from the singer who seems to be the Björk of this generation. This EP is where the production and the autotune show off more than ever in her other works, although I like Magdalene more, this album is better in these terms, it really helps these songs, the maximum example is In Time (my favorite): ... read more

exception
89

wow. i wasn't expecting the new ep from twigs to come out for a couple more months (i haven't been following the release date much) so this came out of nowhere for me. easily my favorite of her 3 eps, significantly better than both. it's as if twigs took the best moments of LP1 (closer, two weeks, pendulum, video girl) and made them even more spacey and electronically oriented. this proves that fka twigs was far from done with new and adventurous songs, and has much more coming.
I loved all ... read more

100

So far I've enjoyed fka twig's work usually what i know of uk hip hop or glitch pop or art pop, but not as artistic or experimental as this which would come off as slightly weak or lackluster of elements I would usually hear. Which led to thinking this was the weakest yet decent fka twigs work. Well luckily duo Let' eat Grandma and sophie have introduced me heavily towards the different depths of deconstructed elements, which made me revisit this album and safe to say I completely enjoyed it ... read more

speedmaster
98

Holy shit its REALLY Good

enka
90

Shoutout to @MountainBoy for the recommendation.

A project that admittedly I didn't quite get after the first listen. But upon a second and third listen really grew on me.

A big reason for that initial rejection came because I was expecting a typical Art-Pop project where the lyricism and production have sustained cohesion throughout. This EP definitely doesn't do that (in a good way). In my eyes this project reads more as performative poetry, and its important to interpret the imagery ... read more

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Track List

1Figure 8
3:03
92
2I'm Your Doll
3:10
87
3In Time
4:32
93
4Glass & Patron
4:18
92
5Mothercreep
3:36
91
Total Length: 18 minutes

Year End Lists

#4/Dazed
#13/Dummy
#13/Treble
#16/Pitchfork
#30/Complex
#38/SPIN
#41/PopMatters
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Added on: August 13, 2015