Review: Arca - KiCK i

Wikipedia definition: Non-binary, or genderqueer, is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍—‌identities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities can fall under the transgender umbrella, since many non-binary people identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex.

In happening upon this latest release from Venezuelan born artist and producer Arca (real name Alejandro Ghersi) I not only felt immediately compelled to share the experience I had listening to KiCk i, but also to delve further into the person and the works that preceded it.

Rather than trying to delve too deeply into a world I know very little about I think Arca summed it up herself very eloquently: “I’m a transwoman but I’m gay. I’m a woman and I’m attracted to men, but I’m gay. At this point, it’s ‘glitch’” says Arca, speaking to her fans in an impromptu livestream, shortly after announcing her gender transition. “The language is breaking down. I’m not breaking down. I’m comfortable, girl,” she says, casually flitting between Spanish and English in between questions.

Moving (for the first time it would appear) into a more mainstream pop-esque style, Arca has successfully managed to take her collective experience of composition from those early EPs (Baron Libre, Stretch 1 & 2), mixes (&&&&&, Entrañas and the recent @@@@@) and full albums (Xen, Mutant and the self-titled Arca) across the last 10 or so years and coalesce/evolve beyond it to KiCk i. Listening back to all of these releases as I have over the last few days they teach you something of Arca's style, ambition for complex sound patterns and rhythms, emotional states shifting through composition and sheer drive to produce something utterly unique, dark and shocking in equal measure. This is never going to be for the faint-hearted.

I think my initial reaction after listening to the 38-some minute aural onslaught was to close my mouth, then just hit PLAY again. KiCk i grabs you by the throat, pins you against a wall, pushes a grenade into your mouth and then dares you to pull out the pin.

The one thing that is evident here is that Arca has found a way to make the heretofore music of her past more accessible in the present, and with it challenge a new and existing audience; and that comes down to structure and melody, as well as the achingly good production, carefully curated collaborations and the newly (more visible) vocals.

Nonbinary opens the album by stating intent straight away through Arca's rap/sing/taunt combo and machine gun beats. Punchy and to the point is where we are.

Moving smoothly into the luscious Time (video link here) which could easily have been drafted into Lady Gaga's discography, it possesses a M83-style with its rising synths and echoey vocals.

Mequetrefe is where we are first treated to Arca singing and rapping in Spanish, and the tune itself swings between something that a flamenco dancer could move to (if she'd been brainwashed by Aphex Twin or Squarepusher) and downright merciless beat pummeling.

The very immediate Riquiqui follows with Spanish and English playing tag on the vocals, with Arca's voice sounding hurried and anxious in equal measure. An extract of some of the lyrics says it all:

Regenerated girl degenerate to generate heat in the light

Love in the face of fear

Fear in the face of God

Thinking it would never end, a break off

The beautiful and aching vocals on Calor really showcase Arca's range, together with a wonderful piano melody and shuddering bass tones.

Afterwards features the voice of one Björk who apparently took elocution lessons to ensure she could pronounce the Spanish properly. Fair play. It is something that could have easily been pulled from one of her own albums, and if I am being slightly critical, that's probably its problem. After all, we're here for Arca, and this is distracting..in the nicest possible way of course.

Watch sees Arca collaborating again with DJ and fellow Electronic artist Shygirl, and their vocal interplay which is distorted to sound a little robotic in the delivery is a perfect foil for the grimy beats and bouncy synths.

KLK is pure Reggaeton with the vocal assistance of Rosalía, complete with a totally latin street feel and the obligatory lock and load/shoot gun samples alongside the vocoder distortion.

Aggressive beats and some neatly sped up overlapping vocal samples usher in Rip The Slit which is probably the only track that you'd be able to describe as somewhat formulaic by Arca's standards. Of course, the formula is not of this world so...

The final 3 tracks on the album are mesmerising for different reasons. La Chiqui teams up Arca with SOPHIE and they sound like dueling futuristic lovers exchanging words to a wonderfully staccato-ridden beat pattern and elastic bass line.

Machote feels like a direct expression of Arca's evolution and the compound confusion, struggle and pain of that experience. You can feel the pull through the low-register vocals which hauntingly echo in and out of the track with an epic electro/orchestral backdrop. The arrangement is lovely.

The album closes with No Queda Nada and it slows things right down to Arca's lone, naked vocal for the first 1min 20secs. Beats then slide in but don't detract from the vulnerability of this composition, and as the direct translation of the track is Nothing Remains, you cannot help but realise that beneath this creativity there is so much of Arca's soul being laid bare for all to hear.

It is absolutely stunning.

For me, this is the most innovative album of 2020 and a wonderful find for an artist who very clearly has so much more to give in years to come. I would urge you to download or stream, then go back and listen to her entire back catalogue, as it is truly a sight to behold.

10/10

Badger x