Released: 2022
At the heart of “Pamplemousse” by the avant-pop maestro FKA Twigs, we encounter an exploration of the juxtaposition of self-love and seeking validation from others, all wrapped up in the context of the social media age. The song muses on the impersonal nature of online interaction and the twisted pleasure we derive from it, all wrapped up like a present in Twigs’ ethereal soundscapes.
The lyrics “Me and the girls with our phones out… Vogue filter face. Talk to me, swipe up to dream” captures the essence of the social media generation. The reference to ‘Vogue filter face’ and ‘swipe up to dream’ signify the digital filters we apply to portray idealized versions of ourselves, creating a distorted reality where validation is sought after, yet trivialized to likes and shares. ‘SimiHaze’ is a nod to the DJ model twins, Simi and Haze Khadra, and their high-profile lives portrayed on social media, while ‘Weave smells like La Croix Pamplemousse’ is a playful reference to the popular sparkling water brand – a symbol of status among millennials.
The lyrics “You know you love it… you love to tell ’em that you don’t, but yeah, you love it” packs a powerful punch, boldly pointing out the hypocrisy inherent in our relationship with social media. It’s a love/hate relationship, where we yearn for the attention and validation from likes and shares, at the same time decrying the superficiality of it all.
The last part of the song is a clear break from the earlier verses. Here, we have a fan asking about the release of a collaboration with Dua Lipa, which is a reminder of how fans constantly crave new content from their favorite artists. This craving again mirrors the insatiable need for validation that the song comments on, comparing the feed of content to the inexhaustible flow of social media posts that we consume on a daily basis.
With “Pamplemousse,” FKA Twigs holds up a mirror to our society’s fascination with filtered reality and the contradictory nature of our insatiable thirst for likes and shares. The track is a thought provoking piece that prompts listeners to question their own relationship with social media and the structures of validation it perpetuates.
