Since the release of her first full length album, fans of British songstress FKA twigs, born Tahliah Barnett, have been patiently awaiting a new release from the renowned chanteuse. Their wishes were granted on August 13, when Barnett released her third Extended Playing Record (EP), “M3LL155X”. The EP, pronounced phonetically as “Melissa”, is yet another critical and commercial hit for the 27 year old artist; her first Long Playing Record (LP), appropriately titled “LP1”, achieved universal acclaim, landing on multiple lists ranking 2014’s best albums.

So, how does “M3LL155X” measure up? With Pitchfork awarding the album a rating of 8.6/10, and Spin giving the album 8/10, critics agree that twigs is continuing to bring forth the electrically charged R&B that enticed so many to begin with.

The best way to describe this EP, along with much of Barnett’s work, is a sort of post-apocalyptic Aaliyah, a blend of Bjork and TLC. Twigs isn’t afraid of risks; from overtly sexual songs like “I’m Your Doll”, to the  heavily altered, but tasteful, vocals on the chorus of “In Time”, Barnett embraces the “art” of “art pop”. My personal favorite off the EP was the closing track, “Mothercreep.” The melodic high notes, followed by the almost hissing chant of the phrase “Creep mother”, were a memorable way to finish a fantastic EP.

However, the real power of the release, along with the majority of Barnett’s work, lies within the sonic complexity of her tracks. Venturing far from the usual musical repertoire, we hear effects and sounds not usually found within the R&B and pop worlds.

“What twigs is interested in, above all, is mastery,” says Pitchfork.

Overall, the album is complex, beautiful, and uniquely FKA twigs. With the accompanying short film, available on YouTube, evocative of other musical shorts like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Kanye West’s “Runway”, twigs adds a stunning visual to a stunning EP. Hopefully, she will continue to produce works with the power of “M3LL155X”.