Album Review: Arca, KicK iii

Tender, tempestuous, sometimes troubling, the music of Venezuelan producer Arca, aka Alejandra Ghersi, is thrilling – yet not for the faint of heart. Her sixth album – and the third in her Kick series – is one of her most punishing yet. Still, amidst the collage of Godzilla grooves, psychedelic flourishes and vocals that go off like a chorus-line of banshees, it pulsates with humanity.

There’s a grand concept, too. Kick III sees Ghersi debuting a new persona of ‘Electra Rex’ – also the title of the first single. Electra she describes as “a new archetype I propose in reference to commonly understood ideas of Freud regarding the oedipal complex.”

That’s either incredibly deep or mildly pretentious depending on your perspective. However, you can experience the music entirely free of context, as Arca lays on the pile-driver beats on ‘Bruja’, and splices melancholic flutterings and heart-breaking introspection on ‘Incendio’ and ‘Skullqueen’. You’ll stagger away shaken, stirred and with the knowledge you’ve just experienced something extraordinary.