Arca is many things. She’s a vocalist and a performer; a songwriter, record producer and instrumentalist. And she excels when the different portions of her talent work as one. Each of her projects is a study in world building. Like a film director or video game developer, Arca – real name Alejandra Ghersi – meticulously constructs an entire universe for and from her art.
The 2020 album KiCk i (pronounced “Kick One”) was the first instalment in Arca’s Kick universe. Now, Arca reintroduces us to it with the simultaneous release of KICK ii, KicK iii and kick iiii. “It is time to enter the end,” whispers a disembodied voice over spectral wails and splices on “Doña”, the opening track of KICK ii. The soundscape recalls video games, specifically the first-person combat variety: guttural ripping noises that mimic blades cutting through flesh, and deep droning pulses (the kind of noise that might occur when a character regenerates after death). Closing track “Andro” sounds as if it’s pulled from the title screen of the arcade game Tekken. These sonic bookends remind the listener that the Kick world can be intense and combative, but also liberating.
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