KiCk i
by Arca
  • Record Label: XL
  • Release Date: Jun 26, 2020
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 149 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 132 out of 149
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 149
  3. Negative: 9 out of 149
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  1. Animespora
    Jul 1, 2020
    10
    Genius for a generation that isn’t ready for it. Arca screams. Arca made Björk sing in Spanish. Arca is Sexual. Arca is here to stay!.
  2. vicxxx
    Jun 27, 2020
    10
    best album!!! features the most talented artists... björk, sophie, shygirl and rosalía. thanks for this masterpiece doña arca
  3. eliluc123
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    such a strong album! It’s very cohesive and show us a message through every song. Miss Arca did it again.
  4. paulwxs
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    a genialidade delu VÉI sua fav popzinho genérico could nerver............
  5. Real_g22
    Jun 26, 2020
    9
    Un álbum con sonidos experimentales de electrónica, pop y un poco de reggaeton con una gran producción a cargo del propio artista. Sin duda una joya
  6. IvanMR97
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. En este nuevo álbum, Arca nos trae un poco más del extraordinario mundo del experimental, nos regala joyas como Björk cantando por primera vez en español, a la fresca y popular Rosalía, nos da un poco de perreo y por sobre todas las cosas, nos da a conocer lo bellamente enamorada que está de su amado Carlos. Un álbum tan divertido, interesante y vulnerable que te hará desear tener a alguien a quién dedicar tan hermosas letras.… Expand
  7. Brayantapia
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    Es un álbum súper completo , te lleva a lugares inimaginables, es tan mágico
  8. andresc
    Jun 26, 2020
    9
    This is definitely my favorite release of 2020.
    Arca at her best - is it perfect? nope. is it real? yes. Kick i is cohesive and has some amazing collabs. Songs like Riquiquí, Calor, Afterwards and KLK made this album a beautiful body of work.
  9. hellokittypie
    Sep 3, 2020
    9
    ARCA I love that you deliver everything we don't expect!!! Totally original.
  10. SirFaulty
    Jul 15, 2020
    0
    Absolutely terrible. Third, and final, album of his I am trying. Just a whole lot of noise. Bjork needs to get the **** away from him, he is totally ruining her music.
  11. fakemeteddy
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
  12. Miss-anthro
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    De verdad amo este album, fue todo lo que esperaba y definitivamente el mejor album de arca.
  13. cruelchanges
    Jun 26, 2020
    0
    Um das piores coisas que já ouvi na vida. Arca é ume mulhere não-binarie muite esquisite.
  14. ffffavriel
    Jul 1, 2020
    10
    this album is just perfection. it's all that arca have been giving us through the years and even more. thank u, queen, for this masterpiece
  15. Evic21
    Jul 29, 2020
    6
    Despite the hype, this record is a disappointment. It feels rushed, muddled and uncertain of its self. Not to mention that the guest features here are lackluster at best. Sadly, Kick i falls flat in more ways than one, even if below the surface, there is a good album in there.
  16. Simao
    Oct 1, 2020
    10
    since non-binary my expectations were high for this new arca era, but she proved them wrong and surpassed them in every way possible.
    arca really did something i thought she couldn’t do with this new album. which just proves she’s still improving her sound.

    my fav arca album used to be xen but that changed now.

    fav songs: watch, KLK, machote
    least fav: afterwards
  17. Hosomy
    Aug 20, 2021
    10
    They transcend what music is to go beyond what is imagined in defining what music is
  18. JohnWaynee
    Jul 30, 2020
    10
    an explosion of creativity and talent. With each listening he grows even more inside me, mixing experimental and nostalgic and futuristic sounds, it is one of the best albums of the year.
  19. sebascampos
    Jul 23, 2020
    9
    This is probably my second favourite album from Arca, i just simply can go to a party and spend all night with them, from La Chiqui to Afterwards, Arca made a solid album.
  20. tiego
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    KiCk i é a reinvenção total da Arca. Agora falando como uma pessoa não-binária, a sonoridade explora outros caminhos que escapam da sonoridade dos três álbuns anteriores e atinge um novo patamar. KiCk i é fresco e reflete de forma plena a artista que a Arca é. A artista passeia pelas próprias vivências e cria um ambiente coeso e coerente em meio a experimentações as quais destacam suaKiCk i é a reinvenção total da Arca. Agora falando como uma pessoa não-binária, a sonoridade explora outros caminhos que escapam da sonoridade dos três álbuns anteriores e atinge um novo patamar. KiCk i é fresco e reflete de forma plena a artista que a Arca é. A artista passeia pelas próprias vivências e cria um ambiente coeso e coerente em meio a experimentações as quais destacam sua vulnerabilidade, sensibilidade, agressividade e luta. KiCk i é um álbum sobre resistir. É um dos maiores lançamentos do ano, sem sombra de dúvidas. Uma obra prima!… Expand
  21. Lajaleaa
    Dec 31, 2020
    6
    ( 65/100 )

    Arca es una chica trans de Venezuela cuya producción creció para colaborar con Kanye West, Bjork, FKA twigs y varios artistas más. En "KiCk i", Arca se muestra solida, diversa y logra cuidar un ambiente que expone con fuerza y energía a varias corrientes musicales como el Art Pop, Avat Garde, Regueton y Ambient-Pop. Sin embargo este experimento es su propia deficiencia. A    ( 65/100 )

    Arca es una chica trans de Venezuela cuya producción creció para colaborar con Kanye West, Bjork, FKA twigs y varios artistas más. En "KiCk i", Arca se muestra solida, diversa y logra cuidar un ambiente que expone con fuerza y energía a varias corrientes musicales como el Art Pop, Avat Garde, Regueton y Ambient-Pop. Sin embargo este experimento es su propia deficiencia. A pesar de lo interesante que pueda ser la dirección musical, cada atractivo se rompe por el bien de lo experimental y muestra un lado mecánico de su propia belleza en vez. Arca tiene una bella voz, incluso a la altura de Bjork, pero a los oídos cotidianos, este álbum será un baile de apareamiento entre maquinas cuyas piezas excretan fluidos seminales color negro. Tan bello como puede ser el símbolo de esta imagen, Arca se enfoca más en lo erótico y lo técnico, que en lo entretenido y lo sustancial.
    -
    Arca is a trans girl from Venezuela whose production grew up to collaborate with Kanye West, Bjork, FKA twigs, and several more artists. In "KiCk i", Arca shows to be solid, diverse, and manages to take care of an ambient that exposes with strength and energy to several musical streams like Art Pop, Avant-Garde, Reggaeton, and Ambient Pop. Nevertheless, this experiment is its own deficiency. Even though the musical direction can be interesting, each attractiveness is broken for the sake of the experimental and shows a mechanical side of its beauty instead. Arca has a beautiful voice, even at the height of Bjork, but to the daily ears, this album is a mating dance between machines whose parts excrete black seminal fluids. As beautiful as the symbol of that image can be, Arca focuses more on the erotic and technical than the entertaining and substantial.    … Expand
  22. All_ButTrU4
    Oct 25, 2021
    6
    This is arca at her most fun. From the breathtaking weirdness of the opener "non binary " to the exhilarating "rip the slit" she doesn't need to take her art too seriously now she's caved her way . Rising as an influential producer and culturalist she bands together collaborators as she flexes her skills and accentuates each of their talents. Though a marvel this album is a far cry fromThis is arca at her most fun. From the breathtaking weirdness of the opener "non binary " to the exhilarating "rip the slit" she doesn't need to take her art too seriously now she's caved her way . Rising as an influential producer and culturalist she bands together collaborators as she flexes her skills and accentuates each of their talents. Though a marvel this album is a far cry from her more revolutionary releases even the underdog"mutant Lp" outshines this take on pop. Still stunning nonetheless. Favourites:rip the slit,none binary, time,klk,kicki,no la queda… Expand
  23. toughcritic
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    This is my favorite Arca album yet! It showcases all of the elements of Arca's best music while also exploring new strengths. We have the beautiful operatic vocals over apocalypse soundscapes production on three tracks, Machote, Calor, Machote, and No Queda Nada. We have deconsructed latinx music and drum patterns on many tracks, most notably on the booming future-reggaeton of KLK. ThisThis is my favorite Arca album yet! It showcases all of the elements of Arca's best music while also exploring new strengths. We have the beautiful operatic vocals over apocalypse soundscapes production on three tracks, Machote, Calor, Machote, and No Queda Nada. We have deconsructed latinx music and drum patterns on many tracks, most notably on the booming future-reggaeton of KLK. This album sacrifices none of the complexity of previous releases, but everything is more direct and less esoteric. The melodies instantly reveal themselves and the lyricism on songs like Nonbinary and Riquiqui is deeply personal and swaps ambiguity for talking about her true self and experiences. Her music has always hinted that she has a talent for writing pop melodies, but those melodies are fully formed here on most of these songs, particularly Time is gorgeous pop songwriting. The first five tracks are an absolutely flawless and breathtaking start to the album. She has done more than enough heavy lifting by this point, so she lets some of her famous friends take the stage for a few songs. The Rosalia and Shygirl colabs are great. These artists come into Arca's strange world and deliver strong performances, they keep the album exciting and fun through its middle stretch and these songs also play great as singles to place on playlists or play in a DJ set. The Bjork collab was underwhelming and half baked, Bjork really didn't deliver here. The Sophie collab was the most disappointing moment of the album for me, not because I dislike the song but because I had very high expectations. There is some gorgeous sound engineering, but this is the most experimental and least structured song on the album. Sophie likes to make unstructured noise music but she also can make really beautifully crafted songs that are "complete" in the traditional sense. There is little melody to be found on this song, and I really wanted to hear a real song from them instead of just playing around making weird noises in the studio. Rip The Slit lyrically is an important moment for the themes of the album, and the production on this song does build to a beautiful climax, but I don't find the repeated refrain that the song is built around enjoyable or pleasing to listen to. Arca closes the album with two classic Arca tracks, Machote and No Quede Nada. Each of the final two tracks takes the intensity down a notch, by the final track she is singing her haunting and ethereal melodies over barely there production and sparse drums, reminding us why we fell in love with Arca in the first place. She packs so much melody and emotion and sonic experimentation into only 38 minutes, this album does not drag at all, and these songs play so well together. There is a real arch and ordering to this album, as if each song is a chapter. Gorgeous album 10/10.… Expand
  24. sneaky12
    Oct 28, 2020
    10
    My fave album of the year so far. Full of complex, fresh and layered production.
  25. soundmate
    Jun 26, 2020
    9
    Sorry for not reviewing this album before, I was too busy jamming to it. First of all, I must say that I first noticed Arca in 2018 after she announced she had recorded a collaboration with Rosalía. I immediately looked for her music on Spotify and, by the first song, I had already become obsessed. She is a very unique artist, a very empowered woman that knows exactly what she wants. SheSorry for not reviewing this album before, I was too busy jamming to it. First of all, I must say that I first noticed Arca in 2018 after she announced she had recorded a collaboration with Rosalía. I immediately looked for her music on Spotify and, by the first song, I had already become obsessed. She is a very unique artist, a very empowered woman that knows exactly what she wants. She writtes, she produces,; she makes music like no other is doing right now. With your permission, Arca is the future of music and is the music everybody expected from the future.
    Nevertheless, "KiCk i" is very different from her previous record. Arca's music has always been very difficult to typecast but I really think that she makes experimental avant hardcore-pop music. Yeah, a weird but very successful and exciting combination that we were looking for and love. This more pop-orientated record of the Venezuelan musician redirects Arca's career to a more commercial place specially in tracks like "KLK" or "Time". However, leaving the experimental music behind is never a mistake and does not mean that you are less of an artist or taking steps back. Pop music fans have been struggling with a hip-hop apocalypse since Drake became an international rapper in mid-2016. A nightmare, literally a nightmare. Ariana Grande and Katy Perry were there releasing albums and another kind of projects but didn't make it to the top because there was always a rapper on the Hot 100 top spot. Let me tell you a secret: the music industry didn't fail because of digital piracy, it failed because pop music fans had nothing to rely on. Going back to the origins of pop music with a bunch more bubblegum and disco-influenced songs is something that has been demanded for quite a time. Thus, going back to Arca, I really feel like she shouldn't be discredited for moving to a more commercial place. She is just giving the people what has been demanded, and I personally love it.
    "KiCk i" is a very nice record filled with harmonies, digital distortion and the best collaborators an artist like Arca can have. Universally acclaimed musicians like Björk and Rosalía; amazing Grammy-nominated producers like Sophie and very interesting artists like Shygirl make this project the unification of 2020+ pop royalty, to be honest. Arca singing for almost the first time has also been very exciting to experience since her voice compliments the essence of her music perfectly. Arca had the formula, she had the pieces of the puzzle and she decided to put them together. Girl, she's smart. Since she decided to move to Barcelona (can you hear me cry out of joy?) and leave London, her music has turned into a more gold Mediterranean thing, where talks about her thoughts and experiences and creates a wonderful world of diversity, inclusivity and acceptance. Although I must say that the mix of hardcore pop and avant-pop sometimes feel like a weird combination between "The Scream" by Edvard Munch and a Warhol painting (like Taylor Swift's "Reputation" but in a nice way), the record is still is very interesting to listen to; it tells you both sides of the moon.
    In conclusion, "KiCk i" is an amazing work of art that feels like Arca's bachelor's degree graduating from maturation, growing up, actualization, acceptance and embracing both your tragedies and happy moments. It sounds like glory and freedom. Just put your headphones on, turn the volume as high as possible and build a party or write a poem, just do what your heart needs to beat louder than ever.    … Expand
  26. JEMR
    Aug 28, 2020
    7
    La producción es asombrosa, pero parece que Arca dió un paso atrás a su estilo que había venido forjando y finalmente pulido con su álbum homónimo Arca. Generalmente, cuenta con un concepto a punto de ser sólido.
  27. lapisonism
    Jun 26, 2020
    9
    every track is perfectly made, some are fun and some are emotional. the collaboration with Björk, SOPHIE ect. makes this album amazing, but for the moment it feels like the lp doesn't work as perfectly as her last masterpiece.
  28. Alex_Ronalds
    Jun 27, 2020
    10
    A complete turn to 2007's "Arca" and the rest of her catalog. This is a new Arca, with the same effort for experimentation just goin a little "pop" for fun. Beautiful & intriguing.
  29. phillippyle
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    perfect, I cannot get over the shygirl feature or rip the slit or just how arca generally can produce any genre???
  30. omeglecamgirl
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    Arca produces her best work yet with help from friends, highlights include nonbinary, time, mequetrefe, afterwards, watch, klk, la chiquí and machote
  31. salvatorereview
    Jun 29, 2020
    10
    I can’t describe how pleased I am with this album. It’s just genius. It’s like the music of the future, this is what elders thought music would sound like in 2020’s. It’s just fresh, it’s familiar, some sounds have that reggaeton vibe, or a more pop-y vibe and even highly Björk-influenced instrumentals. I love how harsh and powerful the first half is; Nonbinary a real STATE, MequetrefeI can’t describe how pleased I am with this album. It’s just genius. It’s like the music of the future, this is what elders thought music would sound like in 2020’s. It’s just fresh, it’s familiar, some sounds have that reggaeton vibe, or a more pop-y vibe and even highly Björk-influenced instrumentals. I love how harsh and powerful the first half is; Nonbinary a real STATE, Mequetrefe make my body moved, Riquiquí is how i would define Arca, The featuring are such a dream, Björk, ROALÍA, SOPHIE and shygirl make these album even better. And not forget those amazing songs “Calor” and “No queda nada” SO SO SO touching. I really really love these album.… Expand
  32. Rluther
    Jun 30, 2020
    10
    The alnum is just it self as a Transgression to the future of music path, bringing different genres and sub genres to the table and a raw experimentation with sound and lyrical construction. KiCk (i), in shortly is collaborative deconstruction of sound and music that offer a new wave of music, taking pop, reggaetón, house, music to a new level.
  33. Cnsydm
    Jul 11, 2020
    3
    Very dissapointing by arca... the only good songs are the features thanks to björk sophie and rosalia
  34. adolfviana
    Aug 31, 2020
    0
    Que álbum tan horrible , no la.conocen ni en su casa , a esto le.llaman arte ? No es música!! Terrible álbum
  35. Masterheart
    Sep 1, 2020
    9
    Arca es uno de los mejores productores de la industria en la actualidad, y es algo que nos confirmó con este fantástico álbum que nos acaba de dar
  36. kevss
    Dec 1, 2021
    10
    This album has literally no skips and have sentimental songs and bangers, is amazing
  37. Kijhy
    Mar 19, 2021
    8
    81/100

    really good album; my favs are time, klk, watch
    i disliked the bjork collab the most
  38. DiegoRisas
    Dec 21, 2021
    10
    The Best of the kick series by far; it actually seems like this album alone spawned the rest of the four albums , for example, you can listen to rip the slit as the initial try to what was going to be kick III.
    I love this, I didn't like it that much when it came out, but now that we have all the kick espectrum, its my favorite.
  39. urielhuidobro
    Sep 3, 2021
    9
    este album es la perfeccion de los generos experimental y glitch. arca sabe lo que hace sin duda.
  40. rllllstr
    Aug 13, 2022
    10
    By far her best work yet! The energy and the chaos created in this album it’s amazing. And the versatility of the various songs just shows how good Arca is as an artist. The featured artists did a perfect job too. Rosalía in KLK is one of the best collabs of the decade, Sophie, Shygirl and Björk killed their verses.
  41. avangardddddddd
    Sep 15, 2021
    10
    Arca’s “KiCK i” is one of the most inspiring avant-pop albums i have ever heard in my life. I reckon it represents the dystopian future of the whole humanity. The cybernetic and strange looking album cover wants to take us to the dystopia Arca’s already created.
    Frankly speaking, i was kind of amazed when i saw the feat of Arca and Sophie. This track swiftly became my favourite one. La    Arca’s “KiCK i” is one of the most inspiring avant-pop albums i have ever heard in my life. I reckon it represents the dystopian future of the whole humanity. The cybernetic and strange looking album cover wants to take us to the dystopia Arca’s already created.
    Frankly speaking, i was kind of amazed when i saw the feat of Arca and Sophie. This track swiftly became my favourite one. La Chíqui represents the synthetic love and the genesis of this feeling, in my opinion. This song also ruins the whole gender system (using the sentence “She is my boyfriend” is actually brave), gender stereotypes and etc. The song “Time” is quite nostalgic for me. The beginning of the track transfers me to the childhood, makes me reminisce all the memories, think about the human existence, the immateriality of the influence that art creates. The track with the featured artist Rosalia is quite chaotic and dystopian at the same time. The beginning makes me nervous for some reason, meanwhile Rosalia’s singing itself is kind of pretty and futuristic. In my opinion, Arca uses the Rosalia’s voice as an instrument, as the means of achieving the best musical experience. As for me, this song is supremely innovative.
    “Nonbinary” is not a traditional song. It is looks like a story, the eloquent manifesto of the absolute freedom that people try to create. I assume it is not only about the gender binarity, it also shows all of us the impossibility of binary differentiating the art itself. To conclude my review I’d like to say that surely Arca’s KiCk i is one of the greatest albums of the contemporary avant-garde and art at all. Arca’s music doesn’t look trivial. The uniqueness of her art may be explained simply: innovative and futuristic artists always go beyond their time which causes the individuality of Arca as a musician.    … Expand
  42. 1000000
    Jul 3, 2022
    8
    Arca's versatility is something that follows her throughout her career. The trajectory of this album, which leads from summer bangers to sentimental and melancholic ballads, indicates that. A very interesting production full of glitches that is very challenging and will give many a headache. And absolutely amazing collaborations!
  43. Lakmestae
    Sep 3, 2023
    9
    Arca's transition from male to female marked the beginning of new era in Arca's career. Transition from arthouse to unusual contemporary pop music. Improvement of composing and quality. Well done

    Overall: 8.7 / 10

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Most Discussed Album of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Mojo
    Jul 21, 2020
    80
    Standout track by far is La Chiqui where trans artist Sophie and Arca go head to head, like two tall, sonic waveforms. Extraordinary. [Sep 2020, p.83]
  2. The Wire
    Jul 14, 2020
    50
    Far from being some utopian unity of the opposites her work has summoned – beyond binaries – she’s still clearly experimenting and sometimes failing. [Aug 2020, p.48]
  3. musicOMH.com
    Jul 2, 2020
    80
    The record dazzles with its detail, beguiles with its lyrical performances and leaves a lasting impression with powerful songwriting.
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