Kick IIII

Kick IIII (stylized as kick iiii) is the seventh studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singer Arca. The album was scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but released early on 2 December 2021, through XL Recordings as a continuation to her 2021 record Kick III, and is the fourth entry in the Kick quintet.[2] Kick IIII was supported by the accompanying lead single "Queer" featuring Planningtorock, and features cellist Oliver Coates, Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson, Planningtorock, as well as production from Cardopusher.

Kick IIII
Studio album by
Arca
Released2 December 2021
Recorded2018–2021
Genre
Length36:38
Language
  • Spanish
  • English
LabelXL
ProducerArca
Arca chronology
Kick III
(2021)		 Kick IIII
(2021)		 Kick IIIII
(2021)
Singles from Kick IIII
  1. "Queer"
    Released: 18 November 2021

Background

Upon the release of Kick I, news surfaced that Arca would be releasing three more Kick albums to make a tetralogy. The artist took to Pitchfork to say: "There will be four volumes. The third one is a little bit more introverted than Kick I, a little bit more like my self-titled album, I guess. The fourth one is piano only, no vocals. Right now, the least defined one, strangely, is the third one. It's all gestating right now [...] Each Kick exists in a kind of quantum state until the day that I send it to mastering. I try to not commit until I have to. But I have a vision for it. The second one is heavy on backbeats, vocal manipulation, mania, and craziness."[3]

In the following year, Arca released her extended play Madre and took part in Dawn of Chromatica, a remix album by Lady Gaga, where she remixed the Ariana Grande collaboration "Rain on Me".[4] While talking about the song on social media, Arca stated: "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".[5] Kick IIII was announced on November 18, alongside the release of the lead single "Queer" featuring vocals from English musician planningtorock.[6] Arca described the album as "entry of sensual charge in the cycle; my own faith made into song, a posthuman celestial sparkle, psychosexual pulsewidth modulation, queering the void, abyss alchemically transmuted into a deconstruction of what is beautiful, it is a healing spell, recognition of the alien inside, a bursting apart of old skin, fresh new sinew rippling outward from a beating core, the first prenatal kick—proof that there is a sentience with a will beyond its creators’ control expressing itself from within the womb."[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The A.V. ClubB−[10]
Evening Standard[11]
Exclaim!8/10[12]
The Guardian[13]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[14]
Loud and Quiet8/10[15]
NME[16]
Pitchfork7.7/10[17]
The Skinny[18]

On review aggregate site Metacritic, Kick IIII received a score of 77 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Arca, unless noted otherwise.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Whoresong"  2:14
2."Esuna" (featuring Oliver Coates)
  • Ghersi
  • Oliver Coates
 2:19
3."Xenomorphgirl"  2:55
4."Queer" (featuring Planningtorock)
  • Ghersi
  • CardoPusher
  • Planningtorock
  • Ghersi
  • CardoPusher
3:30
5."Witch" (featuring No Bra)
  • Ghersi
  • No Bra
  • Ghersi
  • No Bra
3:32
6."Hija" (transl. Daughter)  2:45
7."Boquifloja" (transl. Slackmouth)  5:22
8."Alien Inside" (featuring Shirley Manson)
 2:04
9."Altar"  3:37
10."Lost Woman Found"  4:12
11."Paw"  4:08
Total length:36:38

Interpolates

  • "Alien Inside" contains interpolation of previous Arca track: "Construct" from the mixtape "@@@@@".

References
  1. DuBois, Aymeric (6 December 2021). "Arca: Kick ii/iii/iiii/iiiii". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  2. @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) – via Twitter.
  3. "Live From Quarantine, It's the Arca Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  4. "Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' Remix Album Unlocks The Thrilling Potential Of The Original". Junkee. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  5. 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. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. "Arca Announces New Album kick iiii, Shares New Song "Queer": Listen". Pitchfork. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  7. "Listen to Arca's glitchy new track 'Queer' featuring Planningtorock". NME. 2021-11-21. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  8. "kick iiii by Arca Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  9. Phares, Heather. "kick iiii - Arca". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  10. Freedman, Max (3 December 2021). "Avant-pop artist Arca undercuts her musical impact by piling on too much at once". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  11. Smyth, David (3 December 2021). "Arca - KiCk ii/iii/iiii/iiiii review: 47 tracks of wild electronic experimentation". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  12. Hopfe, Safiya (3 December 2021). "Arca's 'KICK' Cycle Is an Explosive Exploration of Her Multidimensionality". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. Petritis, Alex (3 December 2021). "Arca: Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii review – a wild ride to the dark, daring side of pop". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. Dziri, Red (3 December 2021). "Arca unleashes her daring mutant universe in the completed KICK anthology". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  15. Butchard, Skye (3 December 2021). "Arca - KICK (ii-iiiii) Album Review". Loud & Quiet. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  16. Hunt, El (3 December 2021). "Arca – 'Kick ii', 'Kick iii', 'Kick iiii' & 'Kick 'iiiii' review: a sprawling departure from definition". NME. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  17. Sherburne, Philip (7 December 2021). "Arca album reviews: KICK ii/KicK iii/kick iiii/kiCK iiiii". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  18. Wade, Lewis (3 December 2021). "Arca album reviews: Kick ii - iiiii". The Skiinny. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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