![]() Like leading singles ‘Incendio’ or ‘Electra Rex’, KicK iii portrays the manic side of her production, putting a metallic veil over her more melodically-minded prequels but driving a thunderous impact throughs hypnotic soundscapes. ![]() Needle-pointed designs continue to edge with the ultra-pop of XL Recordings’s output, while advancing its rhythms in an unceasing exercise to redefine musicality at large. The third volume of Arca’s ‘Kick’ series - the extraordinary project by the Grammy-nominated Venezuelan electronic producer dropping multiple heavy-weight albums in rapid succession - delves deeper into dense, industrial pulses. But in demonstrating astounding versatility, KICK ii still hones her razor-sharp focus. Arca’s sound, as always, comes across as a substance never before yet discovered. Despite KICK ii’s mind-bending abstractions, her foray into mainstream pop with ‘Born Yesterday’ features vocals by the Australian singer Sia and adapts experimental electronica into the conventions of melodramatic pop balladry. Liquid, shape-shifting textures are grounded in the weight of her ragged, industrialised reggaeton, with leading singles ‘Prada’ and ‘Rakata’ driving bodily movement through swirling resonances. In the second volume of Arca’s ‘Kick’ series - the Venezuelan producer’s ambitious, back-to-back multi-album project with XL Recordings - her detailed pop twists and reaches into contorted Latin rhythms. Another moment of grace arrives when ‘Calor’ unfolds to reveal multiple-tracked vocals, a Greek Chorus of Ghersis. ‘Time’, a fan favourite since its appearance in Arca’s DJ sets as far back as 2018, is a blissed-out ballad that could just as well appended with ‘After Time’ and seated next to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘80s staple in the slow-dance hall of fame forevermore. Where Arca’s music was once anti-melodical and dyspeptic, now it fringes rapture. Once the full tracklist was revealed, the appearance of Shygirl and SOPHIE further quickened the heart. News broke ahead of “KiCk i”’s midsummer release that both Björk and Rosalía would feature on the record, sharpening expectations for. Or, at the very least, it would be a counterpoint to the head-in-a-vice-grip hiss of a 62-minute composition that landed in February. The noise surrounding “KiCk i” presaged what was meant to come: this, Arca’s fourth, would be the pop album. “KiCk i” is our album of the year because, simply, no-one else makes art quite like Arca. Launched in 2020 with KiCk i being selected as our album of the year, the Kick Cycle has given space for the Grammy nominated producer to explore and push boundaries across various genres.įollowing 2017’s “Arca”, on which Alejandra Ghersi found her voice, the alternately savage and serene “KiCk i” was the sound of Arca comprehensively owning it. The visionary artist is joined by guests including Björk, Rosalía, SOPHIE, Sia, Shirley Manson, Oliver Coates, Planningtorock and Ryuichi Sakamoto across this series. ![]() ![]() Produced and recorded by Arca, The complete Kick Cycle KICK i – kiCK iiiii limited edition boxset. ![]()
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