Arca — KiCk i (6/26/20)
I found this Venezuelan electronic artist/producer in 2017 with her self-titled album. The music was completely out of my comfort zone but sometimes the best discoveries can come from branching into new territory. I found two of the most twisted and wonderful songs I know in “Reverie” and “Desafio.”
Earlier this year, she released an hour-long mix as one single under the name of “@@@@@.” I managed to make my way through it but it’s not something I can see myself going back to. She’s now back with an actual full album, and fortunately, it’s not quite so hard to sift through.
Arca is purely an artist I follow for the shock factor. I’m not generally interested in this type of glitchy electronic music, but she has proven to me before that she can create some pretty intense moods. This album has definitely furthered my appreciation for her music while confirming to me what I like and what I don’t like about it.
It opens with “Nonbinary.” Arca, born Alejandro Ghersi, came out as nonbinary in 2018 (later identifying as a trans woman), and this song is a proud declaration of her identity. Though I haven’t skimmed through her last album for a refresher, I’d say she’s got a lot more confidence to display now.
This song is fearless. She makes it clear she doesn’t give a shit what you think and she empowers you to “speak for your self-states.” I’m struggling to understand exactly what it means but according to Arca, it seems to be related to the spectrum of moods we all have; the different types of personalities one can have.
Musically, the song uses soft-thudding industrial electronics to set an unsettling mood. It uses the pump-action shotgun sound effect more than once (you can even hear the shell hit the ground) as the song intensifies with heavier percussion and a more cutting pace.
“Time” follows and makes for a nice break from the tenseness of “Nonbinary.” It’s wonderfully ethereal and weightless. When I think of Arca, I think of glitchy, discomforting electronics, and this song couldn’t be further removed from that.
The Spanish-sung “Mequetrefe” (good-for-nothing) embraces the glitchy electronics but meshes in a soothing chord progression that really helps ground the song for me.
Arca tends to create these rather haunting environments in her music and you really start to feel it in the second half of “Riquiquí” (yummy). There’s a real sharpness to Arca’s delivery and she plays with different registers, adding to the frenetic energy felt in the song.
“Calor” (warmth) is the type of song I’m looking for from Arca. I love her soft delivery with her voice just floating over the tender synth keys. It gives me flashes of what I loved about “Reverie” and “Desafio” from her last album, especially in its second half when she deepens her vocals.
I’ve never been much of a Björk fan and I’m not much of a fan of her feature on here either with “Afterwards.” Though I appreciate it in a similar way to “Calor” with its soft-thudding atmosphere and slow pace, I don’t find the feeling translates as well. I won’t deny the sheer beauty of this song; it’s just not pulling me back in.
British artist Shygirl is featured on the self-empowering “Watch.” It hits kind of similarily to “Nonbinary,” with crunching industrial electronics and a can’t-be-bothered attitude. It’s the type of song that one can maybe appreciate for its experimental aspects and gritty production, but it falls flat in delivering any real emotional substance for me.
I can hardly put myself through “KLK” (short for Qué lo que, which means what’s up). It features Spanish artist ROSALÍA and I find it remarkably unexciting. It’s this warped Spanish pop that is completely out of my wheelhouse and does absolutely nothing for me.
“Rip the Slit” reminds me a bit of some of the weirdness off Arca’s last release in “@@@@@.” The vocals are mostly pitched to a near-chiptune level and paint a discomforting image in the mind with relentless repetition of “I rip the slit.” It’s so messed up and it’s just something you gotta take as part of the full Arca experience.
Arca works with Scottish artist SOPHIE on “La Chíqui.” It’s another twisted song. The very most I can take away from a song like this is an appreciation for the absurdity of it all. I do enjoy the thickness felt in the production. The synths and bass rip through the speakers for a jarring effect. And the song’s culminating moments get super hectic and all-surrounding in a way that’s hard to ignore.
“Machote” (tough) has Arca providing her own spin to a song from her youth called “Quiero una Chica.” She lays down an R&B-style performance over an expansive electronic setting layered with synth-strings that give the song an added serenity. It features her deeper vocals that I love and there’s a smooth sultry feel to it but it doesn't go much further than that.
“No Queda Nada” (I believe it means there is nothing left) finishes the album. It’s a near-6-minute love song dedicated to Arca’s boyfriend Carlos. It makes for a lovely sendoff to the album. It feels like it’s in slow-motion after some of those earlier songs.
It has a wonderful peacefulness about it but I also feel some longing in Arca’s delivery. There’s not an over empowering emotion to it but it holds a tender sweetness. So much of Arca’s music feels like a knife and this song closes the album with a soft cushion for you to rest on.
