The first of five, 'Kick i' is a transformative album for Arca, all for the best reasons.
One word that describes this album is: Transformation.
For the past decade, Arca has been a producer and an artist that has worked for different, critically acclaimed musicians such as Bjork, Kanye West, and FKA Twigs. The production work and collaboration work she had with those artists only elevated her as one of the electronic producers of the 2010s, and that’s not even starting with her solo works. Settling in towards off-kilter, avant-garde touches from hip-hop samples from her Stretch EPs, bright timbre yet unstable instrumental electronics from ‘Xen’ and ‘Mutant’, then vocal inclusions and muted but still eclectic arrangements from her self titled album. Her work varies from style to style that feels incredibly refreshing, and she takes a newer step on Kick i.
Embracing more pop sensibilities and arrangements this time around, the album might be Arca’s accessible project to date, to a certain angle. Yes, tracks such as ‘Time’, ‘No Queda Nada’, ‘Afterwards’, and ‘Machote’ are some of Arca’s accessible tracks to date, but they get contrasted by the swirling experimentation that the rest of the songs have, and collaborations such as Bjork, Shygirl, Rosalia, and the late SOPHIE offers a lot in these eclectic tracks. This album also is a transformation for Arca given her transition as a trans-nonbinary figure, which is reflected from the lyrics that detail her triumph and awareness of the struggles as a queer being, along with romantic lyrics towards her boyfriend during the time. Despite not being crazy with some of the instrumental and production choices on some of the tracks here, the melodies, the performances, and especially the experimental marks have improved significantly.
Kick i is an incredibly refreshing project for Arca, and also a great starting point for those who want to get into her discography for the first time.
Favorite Tracks: Nonbinary, Time, Mequetrefe, Riquiqui, KLK, Rip the Slit, La Chiqui, No Queda Nada. Watch
Least Favorite Track: Machote