ZOOMERCORE
Arca - KiCk i
One of the most progressive, avant-garde electronic musicians of the decade, Arca has positioned herself within the trope of “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.” Thus, if you are unfamiliar with Arca’s solo work, you have likely heard traces of her collaborations—the artist has produced for Kelela, FKA Twigs, Kanye West, and Bjork.Since her self-titled release in 2017, Arca has cranked up the energy. On her newest record KiCk I, Arca ventures past the art pop realm into deconstructed club territory while still holding true to her Venezuelan roots. In contrast to her earlier latin folk-infused abstractions, KiCk I embraces reggaeton and abrasive production. The result is chaotic, surreal, fun, and overwhelming at times. In comparison to her earlier work, this shift in production serves as a more apt vehicle for her lyrical themes of gender and sexuality. LGBTQ+ representation too often centers on adversity, sadness, and rejection, and Arca is the ideal artist to instead approach with these topics with a playful drama. Not only does it match the energy of her chaotic and bold internet presence, but it warrants a stacked lineup of features from some of the most interesting and relevant female artists including Rosalia, Shygirl, Bjork, and SOPHIE. She handles these features gracefully, aptly placing Rosalia on a latin club banger and descending into absolute chaos with SOPHIE. The result is largely successful—Arca shines when she is collaborating with peers and pushing her work to the absolute limits of madness.