"Pendulum" is a song by English singer

FKA Twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 17 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, and dancer. Born and raised in Cheltenham, she became a backup dancer for numerous famous musicians aft ...

from her debut studio album, '' LP1'' (2014). The song was released digitally on 30 July 2014 as the album's second single. It was also released on

12-inch vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

the day before, serving as the B-side to " Two Weeks". "Pendulum" premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

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show on 29 July 2014. Upon its premiere, Twigs referred to the track as "one of my favourite songs on my record."

Critical reception

Upon its release, "Pendulum" received acclaim from music critics, who noted its complex production and Twigs's vocals. Patric Fallon of

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selected it as "Best New Track", writing that " t since last year's bewitching 'Water Me' ..has the London singer released a single as dedicated to nuance and will-o'-the-wisp sublimity as ..'Pendulum'." However, Fallon also noted the differences between the two tracks, stating: "Where 'Water Me' and 'Pendulum' diverge in their style and substance is in the latter's resounding chorus and bridge, when the music's detached and capricious elements finally converge into a hook that plays like a hymn to the patron saint of melancholic desire." Brenna Ehrlich of MTV News called the track "a spare kind of thing hung with pattering drums—laid over a deeper, thrumming heartbeat—and laced with her ethereal, overlapping vocals." Chris Coplan of

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was also laudatory, commenting: "Even as the somewhat jarring sounds threaten to consume every drop of your attention, it's damn near impossible to avoid the emotional spell Twigs weaves with each and every revelatory note."

Music video

The music video for "Pendulum" was directed by FKA Twigs herself and premiered on 14 January 2015. A photo from the video set was first released on 29 July 2014, which depicts FKA Twigs hanging from the ceiling by her hair. A second photo from the set was posted to FKA Twigs' Instagram page on 6 October 2014. The video won a

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for Best Video on 4 November 2015, while earning FKA Twigs a nomination for Artist to Watch at the

2015 MTV Video Music Awards The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, follo ...

Track listings

*;Digital download #"Pendulum" – 4:58 *;Limited edition 12" single :A. " Two Weeks" – 4:08 :B. "Pendulum" – 4:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of '' LP1''. *

– vocals, drums, keyboards, production, songwriting * Cy An – additional drum edits, keyboards * John Davis – mastering *

Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member o ...

– drums, guitar, keyboards, piano, production, songwriting * Joseph Hartwell Jones – engineering

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2014 singles 2014 songs Song recordings produced by Paul Epworth Songs about loneliness Songs written by Paul Epworth FKA Twigs songs