<p><span><span><span>- Arca’s </span><em>Kick </em><span>series began in early 2020, when the release of her single </span><em>Nonbinary</em><span> set the tone for this era, what would be the most complex and lengthy of her oeuvre so far. </span><em>KiCk i</em><span> acts as a taster, an insight into the various phases and soundscapes Arca explores through the project. Elements of deconstructed club and experimental electronica are everywhere, distorted but grounded by the slices of pop, trap and ambient that texture the epic collection.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Unique conceptually -I don’t know of another artist that would surprise drop four albums at once- but mainly in aesthetics and sound, Arca’s is deeply personal: a brazen look at an artist whose identity is as indescribable and in flux as her audible presence. Her identity, both in terms of gender and spirit, are a theme at the forefront of the </span><em>Kick</em><span> series. She opens KiCk i with the line, “</span><em>I do what I wanna do when I wanna do it</em><span>”, before proceeding to absolutely annihilate any detractor of hyper-specific sound. In the music video for KicK iii’s </span><em>Electra Rex</em><span>, Arca and an array of fans dressed as esoterically as she is herself, vogue on the middle of street in a single take video that could only be compared to </span><strong>Gaspar Noé</strong><span>’s </span><em>Climax</em><span>. Though even that has deeper connotations, it’s her interpretation of </span><strong>Freud</strong><span>’s understanding of the oedipal complex.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>It’s hard to describe the record through its sound alone: by all accounts the Kick series is completed by its visuals, both the artwork and attendant music videos. </span><em>Prada/Rakata</em><span> is a tour de force, a video that journeys across the diorama-like artwork of the albums, depicting Arca as a metallic, pteradactyl being, the boulder that Sisyphus from Ancient Greece was forced to push uphill for eternity, riding a bull across the non-binary gender symbol, and as a modern day Sphinx (being constructed by an array of naked, masculine androids) while drones and powerlines feed into her. Sonically, this track recalls the </span><strong>Rosalía</strong><span> featuring </span><em>KLK</em><span>, a half trap, half-flamenco pop cut from KiCk i.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>KicK iii, the most incendiary and gritty of the series, is the standout - bar the surprise release of kiCK iiiii some hours after this review was written. It incorporates all shades of the project: the experimental sonic textures, searing pop melodies, and deeply intoxicating ambience. It shows Arca at her most revolutionary, a beacon uniting the prehistoric past and industrial future. Is her vision of the future utopian or dystopian? I’d argue Arca sees little difference between the two, both full of contradiction. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>From the beginning of KiCk i to to the brutal end of the series, Arca is an artist at her peak, in complete control of every aspect of her body of work. Unleashing a torrent of who she is, it speaks volumes to her importance in many more worlds than just music and every second of it is an utterly vital listen.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>- Sean Tayler.</span></span></span></p>
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