FKA twigs has a moment of mid-rave clarity on ‘Sticky’

Also on the Rated by THE FACE playlist: Central Cee, AntsLive, Shygirl and Luna Morgenstern.
Music
Words: Davy Reed,
Tiffany Lai,
Jade Wickes
Photography: Jordan Hemingway
There’s much music out there and sometimes it’s hard to keep up.
Rather than letting the algorithm dictate your music taste, you can listen to Rated by THE FACE – a playlist that’s updated by our (human) editorial team every week.
Shygirl – True Religion
For those mourning the end of Brat girl autumn, fear not, Shygirl has come in clutch with a new party anthem in this most miserable of months. Teaming up with Honduran reggaeton singer Isabella Lovestory and former FACE cover star PinkPantheress, True Religion is a glossy perreo peek at Shygirl’s upcoming EP, Club Shy Room 2. Dropping on 28th Feb, the project also features Mura Masa, BAMBII, SadBoi and Jorja Smith. Can’t wait. TL
Luna Morgenstern – Heartbreak Hotel
Following in the footsteps of Elvis, German musician Luna Morgenstern checks into the heartbreak hotel on this glacial electro-pop track. Taken from Luna’s new six track project of the same title, Heartbreak Hotel features breathy vocals layered over clattering drums and featherlight synths, as she sings about entering the place “where the lonely go to dwell”. TL
FKA twigs – Sticky
There’s a techno pulse throughout twigs’ new album Eusexua, which she launched last weekend with raves in Manchester, Glasgow and London (watch THE FACE’s Club Cam footage of that one here). Mid-album breather Sticky is a highlight. The beat pauses, a poignant piano loop quivers and twigs gets emotionally raw and vulnerable. Then, all of sudden, the drums kick in the end of the track, like a reminder to stump out that cigarette and get back inside the club. DR
Central Cee – St. Patrick’s
Central Cee has said his dad educated him on classic hip-hop. Having previously referenced Method Man and Raekwon in his bars, it’s clear he’s studied the Wu-Tang Clan. Cench shows love here once again by sampling and quoting the Clan’s ‘93 classic C.R.E.A.M, a melancholic anthem about the ruthless rat race of capitalism. Like a lot of the tracks on his debut album Can’t Rush Greatness, on St. Patrick’s, Cench breathlessly details his rocky road to fame and fortune. It’s not all roses now he’s made it to the top though: the American girls laugh at his accent when he says ‘bottle of water.’ DR
AntsLive – Crew Love
AntsLive has a tough act to follow: himself. Over the last couple of years, the West London rapper has scored a couple of viral hits including Captain Ants and Number One Candidate, which are both characterised by cheeky bars and high energy beats. Crew Love, in comparison, is more pared-back and introspective: “I feel like a catfish/I spent 10 years tryna get this coin in/And now the money just backflip,” he raps. This is a moment of introspection for Ants, about how far he’s come, and all that’s still left to conquer. JW
