Kick I


Kick I is the fourth studio album by Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca. Recorded between Barcelona and London, the album was released on June 26, 2020 through XL Recordings. Kick I was presented with four singles: "Nonbinary", "Time", "Mequetrefe", and "KLK" featuring Rosalía. It also includes collaborations with Björk, Shygirl and Sophie.

Background

Shortly after releasing her 62-minute long mix "@@@@@", on March 8, 2020 Arca revealed to Garage Magazine that she would be releasing her next album in the summer of 2020 and that it would feature Icelandic singer Björk and Spanish new flamenco alternative artist Rosalía. She had already previewed some of the songs in 2019 through live videos on her Instagram profile. Arca explained that "there was a clear intention to allow every self to express itself. Not to decide how much air time each self would get, but to allow for modulation between them in a spontaneous way."
The album, consisting of 12 tracks, leaked on the internet on March 21, 2020 prior to any release date announcement. On May 20, 2020, Arca announced through social media the release date of the album as well as its tracklist and cover art, which was shot by Catalan artist Carlota Guerrero, Carlos Sáez and herself. The album was made available to preorder since that day on streaming platforms since it will only be released digitally internationally while there will be a CD and LP edition for the United Kingdom on July 17.

Critical reception

Kick I was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, it holds a average score of 74 out of 100, based on 16 professional reviews.
Tom Hull gave the album a B-plus and found it "arch, arty, arcane", and "pretty unique".

Accolades

Track listing

All tracks were written and produced by Alejandra Ghersi, alongside credited featured artists.

Release history