KICK ii

At the time of KiCk is release, Alejandra Ghersi promised more Arca music was on the way soon. A year later, she delivered on that promise abundantly, releasing four more volumes of the Kick series that showcased the distinctive facets of her artistry and, as always, pushed it forward. On Kick ii, she dives deeper into the reggaeton influences that provided some of KiCk is most combustible and memorable moments, such as "Mequetrefe" (which she also incorporated into her remix of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grandes "Rain on Me"). Once again, Ghersi effortlessly and creatively folds her musical heritage and the trends of the time into her own vision. On "Prada" and "Luna Llena," dreamy atmospheres float behind the driving rhythms, harking back to the melancholy beauty she cultivated on Arca. She chrome-plates "Tiro"s reggaeton beat, and at the end of the festive "Rakata," it sounds as though it bursts into flames. Throughout Kick ii, the density and fluidity of its tracks reflect just how brilliantly Ghersi uses surfaces and textures to express herself. "Arana" wiggles and crashes like a toy robot going haywire, calling to mind her earliest music as well as the work of her late collaborator and friend SOPHIE; "Femme"s low-swinging beat and synths trace voluptuous curves; and a repeating piano figure barely imposes some order on the free-for-all of the Clark collaboration "Confianza." The sheer amount of music in the Kick project could lead to assumptions that theres a lot of filler, but that couldnt be further from the truth. Ghersi doesnt waste any space or time, and the tracks that seem to spontaneously unfold on Kick ii work just as well as the more overtly structured ones. "Munecas," a haunting collage featuring contributions from Mica Levi, couldnt sound or feel more different than "Born Yesterday," which combines the throaty power of Sias voice and grandly futuristic production into the theme for a sci-fi blockbuster, but theyre both standouts. Even though Arca narrows her focus on Kick ii, its still the product of an artist who cant help but break boundaries as she creates the space she needs to innovate. ~ Heather Phares