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Kick II

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the album by Arca. Not to be confused withKick 2.
Kick II
Studio albumby
Arca
Released30 November 2021
Recorded2018–2021
Genre
Length33:56
Language
  • Spanish
  • English
LabelXL
ProducerArca
Arcachronology
Madre
(2021) 		Kick II
(2021) 		Kick III
(2021)
SinglesfromKick II
  1. "Born Yesterday"
    Released: 4 October 2021
  2. "Prada" / "Rakata"
    Released: 3 November 2021

Kick II(stylized asKICK ii;pronounced “kick two”) is the fifth studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singerArca.The album was scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but released early on 30 November 2021, throughXL Recordingsas a continuation to her[a]2020 recordKick I,and is the second entry inKickquintet.[1]Kick IIwas supported by three singles: "Born Yesterday", featuring vocals by Australian musicianSia,[2]as well as "Prada" and "Rakata", released as a double single. Its cover art was photographed by Frederik Heyman.[3]The album received positive reviews and was nominated for theLibera Awardfor Best Latin Album and theLatin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.[4][5]

Background

[edit]

Upon the release ofKick I,news surfaced that Arca would be releasing two moreKickalbums to make a trilogy. The artist took toPitchforkto say: "There will be four volumes. The third one is a little bit more introverted thanKick I,a little bit more like myself-titled album,I guess. The fourth one ispianoonly, no vocals. Right now, the least defined one, strangely, is the third one. It's all gestating right now [...] EachKickexists in a kind ofquantum stateuntil the day that I send it tomastering.I try to not commit until I have to. But I have a vision for it. The second one is heavy onbackbeats,vocal manipulation,mania,and craziness. "[6]

In the following year, Arca released herextended playMadreand took part inDawn of Chromatica,aremix albumbyLady Gaga,where she remixed theAriana Grandecollaboration "Rain on Me".[7]While talking about the song onsocial media,Arca stated: "It's also the last time I playfullydeconstructmy songs 'Time' and 'Mequetrefe', as we say goodbye to theKick Iera and move into theKick IIera and beyond ".[8]On September 27, the producer released a new song, "Incendio" to critical acclaim.[9][10]A week later, she revealed the release date, tracklist and cover art of her upcoming albumKick IIalongside its lead single, "Born Yesterday" featuringSia.[11]

WithKick IIII's announcement, Arca confirmedKick II's sonic palette would be "a deconstruction and reinterpretation ofreggaeton".[12]

Composition

[edit]

Kick IIis primarily anelectronic,[13]experimental,[14]avant-garde,[15]reggaeton,[16]pop[14]andcumbia[17]album. Album opener "Doña" features "eerieloopingvocal mantras and squelchingsamples"and is" intentionally loose and disorienting, so when that familiardembowrhythm locks in on the following track, the hypnotic pull is felt instantly ".[18]"Prada" and "Luna Llena" features "dreamy atmospheres float[ing] behind the driving rhythms" and garnered comparisons to Arca's 2017 self-titled album.[19]The later track turns its "blurry, fuzzysynths,compressed reggaeton bump, and Ghersi's slow-pouringcontraltoresemble pining distilled into sound, and the titular image of a full moon feels similarly romantic ".[20]"Araña" is a deconstructed club[14]track that "wiggles and crashes like a toy robot going haywire"[19]and "invites listeners to tune into something resembling the soundtrack to a video game gone wrong".[15]"Muñecas" is a "a hauntingcollagefeaturing contributions fromMica Levi".[19]"Born Yesterday" is a poppower balladwhose "eerie otherworldly musings are subdued by a hypnotic dancefloor beat on the cusp of dissolution".[15]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[19]
The A.V. ClubB−[20]
Evening Standard[22]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The Guardian[23]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[14]
Loud and Quiet8/10[18]
NME[24]
Pitchfork7.4/10[25]
The Skinny[26]

On review aggregate siteMetacritic,Kick IIreceived a score of 76 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]Safiya Hopfe, writing forExclaim!praised the albums hooks, saying "even at her most accessible, Arca refuses to paint from a predictable palette. But for all her experimentation and chaotic tangents, it is clear inKick IIthat she is acutely aware of the balance necessary to build a bop. "[15]Evening Standard's David Smyth consideredKick IIthe "most complete experience as a single album" out of the entire quintet.[22]Conversely, Lewis Wade ofThe Skinnycalled it "some of the least interesting music of the whole collection" and said that if the album was "more avant-garde, or more ephemeral, it may have worked better, but it doesn't hit with the intensity it should".[26]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Doña" (transl.  "Mrs.")Alejandra GhersiArca1:46
2."Prada"
  • Ghersi
  • Cardopusher
  • Arca
  • Cardopusher
2:43
3."Rakata"
  • Ghersi
  • Cardopusher
  • Arca
  • Cardopusher
2:31
4."Tiro" (transl.  "Shot")
  • Arca
  • Boys Noize
  • Cardopusher
2:18
5."Luna Llena" (transl.  "Full Moon")Ghersi
3:19
6."Lethargy"GhersiArca2:07
7."Araña" (transl.  "Spider")GhersiArca4:17
8."Femme"GhersiArca1:42
9."Muñecas" (transl.  "Dolls")
  • Arca
  • Levi
3:33
10."Confianza" (transl.  "Confidence")
  • Arca
  • Cardopusher
  • Clark
1:47
11."Born Yesterday" (featuringSia)
  • Ghersi
  • Jmike
  • Sia
  • Arca
  • Jmike
3:18
12."Andro"GhersiArca4:35
Total length:33:56

Release history

[edit]
List of release dates, showing region, format(s), label(s) and reference(s)
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various December 3, 2021
XL [27]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance forKick II
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Independent Album Breakers(Official Charts Company)[28] 16
USCurrent Album Sales(Billboard)[29] 83

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Arca usesshe/her,it/itsandthey/thempronouns. This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

References

[edit]
  1. ^@MutantFaith (June 6, 2021)."Arca explaining how the finalized version of kIcK ii has significant differences from the currently circulating fan-made compilation, and confirming a FIFTH Kick installment 🖤🩸❕"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  2. ^Paul, Larisha (2021-10-04)."Arca Announces New Album With Lip-Synced Video for 'Born Yesterday,' Featuring Sia".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  3. ^"Conoce a Frederik Heyman, el artista que creó el mundo futurista del nuevo single de Arca".MOR.BO(in Spanish). 2020-02-21.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  4. ^Aswad, Jem (March 23, 2022)."Japanese Breakfast, Jason Isbell, Arlo Parks Lead Indie-Music Collective A2IM's 2022 Libera Awards Nominees".Variety.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
  5. ^"23rd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards Final Nominations"(PDF).The Latin Recording Academy.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 23, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 20,2022.
  6. ^"Live From Quarantine, It's the Arca Show".Pitchfork.20 May 2020.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  7. ^"Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' Remix Album Unlocks The Thrilling Potential Of The Original".Junkee.2021-09-07.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  8. ^Arca, Doña (September 3, 2021)."@arca1000000:" It's also the last time I playfully deconstruct my songs Time and Mequetrefe as we say goodbye to the KiCk i era and move into the kIcK ii era and beyond "".Twitter.RetrievedOctober 4,2021.
  9. ^"Listen to Arca's entrancing new single 'Incendio'".NME.2021-09-28.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  10. ^"Arca Shares New Song" Incendio, "Announces Charity Concert Film".Pitchfork.2021-09-27.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  11. ^"Arca Announces New Album KICK ii, Shares Video for New Song with Sia".Pitchfork.2021-10-04.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  12. ^"Arca 'Queers the Void' With New Album 'Kick iiii'".Rolling Stone.2021-11-18.Retrieved2021-11-29.
  13. ^Rettig, James (30 November 2021)."Album Of The Week: Arca KicK iii".Stereogum.Retrieved1 December2021.
  14. ^abcdDziri, Red (3 December 2021)."Arca unleashes her daring mutant universe in the completed KICK anthology".The Line of Best Fit.Retrieved3 December2021.
  15. ^abcdeHopfe, Safiya (3 December 2021)."Arca's 'KICK' Cycle Is an Explosive Exploration of Her Multidimensionality".Exclaim!.Retrieved3 December2021.
  16. ^Lopez, Julyssa (17 November 2021)."Arca 'Queers the Void' With New Album 'Kick iiii'".Rolling Stone.Retrieved21 November2021.
  17. ^Muggs, Joe (27 November 2021)."Album: Arca - KICK ii / KICK iii / KICK iiii".Retrieved30 November2021.
  18. ^abButchard, Skye (3 December 2021)."Arca - KICK (ii-iiiii) Album Review".Loud & Quiet.Retrieved3 December2021.
  19. ^abcdPhares, Heather."Kick II by Arca".Allmusic.Retrieved3 December2021.
  20. ^abFreedman, Max (3 December 2021)."Avant-pop artist Arca undercuts her musical impact by piling on too much at once".The A.V. Club.Retrieved3 December2021.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ab"Kick ii by Arca Reviews and Tracks".Metacritic.Retrieved3 December2021.
  22. ^abSmyth, David (3 December 2021)."Arca - KiCk ii/iii/iiii/iiiii review: 47 tracks of wild electronic experimentation".Evening Standard.Retrieved3 December2021.
  23. ^Petritis, Alex (3 December 2021)."Arca: Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii review – a wild ride to the dark, daring side of pop".The Guardian.Retrieved3 December2021.
  24. ^Hunt, El (3 December 2021)."Arca – 'Kick ii', 'Kick iii', 'Kick iiii' & 'Kick 'iiiii' review: a sprawling departure from definition".NME.Retrieved3 December2021.
  25. ^Sherburne, Philip (7 December 2021)."Arca album reviews: KICK ii/KicK iii/kick iiii/kiCK iiiii".Pitchfork.Retrieved7 December2021.
  26. ^abWade, Lewis (3 December 2021)."Arca album reviews: Kick ii - iiiii".The Skiinny.Retrieved3 December2021.
  27. ^"Arca anuncia los detalles de 'KICK ii', su nuevo disco".Dod Magazine(in Spanish). 2021-10-04.Retrieved2021-10-04.
  28. ^"Official Independent Album Breakers Chart Top 20 – 27 May 2020".Official Charts.Retrieved27 May2022.
  29. ^"Arca Chart History (Current Album Sales)".Billboard.Retrieved1 June2022.
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