We’ve long struggled to box Arca into a single genre, and KiCk-i bursts out of genre conventions entirely, as a glorious expression of life.
KiCk i is the sound of life's multitudes, a soundtrack for dissolving the barriers that once defined us.
KiCk i drips with pensive pleasure.
KiCk i is her fullest vision yet for herself, the culmination of eight years of musically and visually rocketing outside the box, bridging seemingly diametrically opposed forces, and pursuing her muse no matter how strange others might find it.
These kinds of unapologetic contradictions and fragments coexist on KiCk i in startling, beautiful, and genuine ways, making it a complete, and triumphant, portrait of Arca's artistry.
KiCk I offers up an even broader palette than previously, while keeping up a steady diet of trademark dissonance alongside those slightly more overground ambitions.
KiCk I is a consistently enjoyable, so the fact it still feels like something of an anti-climax is testament only to Arca’s history of braveness and originality.
KiCk i is a promising kick-off to this exciting new chapter of Arca’s life and career.
I’d still describe KiCk i as a “must listen”. No other artist is creating compelling, complex soundscapes like these.
Her latest, KiCk i, an attempt to capture her entire identity with all its facets and contrasts, is a bit of a stumble compared to her other confident strides, but she's still going in the right direction for her illustrious career.
Perfection is not revolutionary, but change is. And while KiCk i is not as subversive as the work of Arca’s black contemporaries such as Zebra Katz, who don’t benefit from her level of exposure, it nonetheless offers a red pill to a more hopeful future.
Diversity ... is both the medium and the message.
#1 | / | Bleep |
#3 | / | Dazed |
#11 | / | Magnetic |
#29 | / | Slant Magazine |
#32 | / | Les Inrocks |
#32 | / | Stereogum |
#40 | / | Pitchfork |
#47 | / | Treble |
#57 | / | Noisey |
#75 | / | The Quietus |