Edge Rewrite
location Source code View original
// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a22c601e2c1ac6f8

Jump to content

Kick III

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kick III
A two-headed digital avatar of Arca surrounded by skeletons in an apocalyptic landscape
Studio album by
Arca
Released1 December 2021
Recorded2018–2021
Genres
Length35:38
Languages
  • Spanish
  • English
LabelXL
ProducerArca
Arca chronology
Kick II
(2021)		 Kick III
(2021)		 Kick IIII
(2021)
Singles from Kick III
  1. "Incendio"
    Released: 27 September 2021
  2. "Electra Rex"
    Released: 9 November 2021

Kick III (stylized as KicK iii; pronounced "kick three") is the sixth studio album by Venezuelan musician and record producer Arca. The album was originally scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but was released two days early on 1 December through XL Recordings. It is the third entry in the five-part Kick series, which began with her 2020 album Kick I. Kick II, Kick III, Kick IIII and Kick IIIII were released during the same week. The album was preceded by the singles "Incendio" and "Electra Rex". It received generally favorable reviews from critics.

Background

[edit source]

Following the release of Kick I, Arca initially stated that she intended to release two further Kick albums to complete a trilogy. In a May 2020 interview with Pitchfork, however, she said that the project had expanded to five volumes. At that stage, she described the third installment as "a little bit more introverted than Kick I" and similar to her self-titled album, while also calling it the least defined volume of the series. Arca explained that each album remained in a "quantum state" until it was sent for mastering.[1]

In the following year, Arca released her extended play Madre and took part in Dawn of Chromatica, a remix album by Lady Gaga, for which she remixed the Ariana Grande collaboration "Rain on Me".[2] While discussing the song on social media, Arca stated that it marked the final time she would deconstruct her songs "Time" and "Mequetrefe", as she was moving beyond the Kick I era.[3]

On 27 September, Arca released the single "Incendio".[4][5] Kick III was announced on 9 November alongside the release of "Electra Rex", and was initially scheduled to be released on the same day as Kick II. Arca's description of the album had changed significantly by that point; she described it as "a portal directly into the more manic, violently euphoric and aggressively psychedelic sound palettes in the series" and "the most incendiary entry in the Kick universe".[6] With the announcement of Kick IIII, Arca confirmed that Kick III would focus "more on heavy club music".[7]

Although it had been announced for 3 December, the album was released on 1 December 2021,[8] one day after the early release of Kick II.[9] The album artwork was created by 3D artist Frederik Heyman and was drawn from imagery developed for the "Prada/Rakata" music video.[10]

Composition

[edit source]

Kick III is a deconstructed club, glitch hop,[11] psychedelic,[12] reggaeton,[13] cumbia,[14] dance,[15] electronic and noise album.[16]

The opening track, "Bruja", is a ballroom track, described as "filled with sass and contagious energy".[17] "Incendio" is an industrial rap song whose production combines vehicle-like noises and heavy percussion with rapidly shifting vocals, including quasi-rapped passages, shouts and laughter.[18][19] "Rubberneck" blends IDM and operatic pop,[20] incorporating "punishing industrial thuds" and a sense of controlled chaos.[21] "Señorita" is a "glitchy",[18] hip hop-influenced song[21] that functions as the album's "punchy lyrical centerpiece".[15]

"Electra Rex" is underpinned by a cavernous trap beat and syncopated percussion; its title combines the Greek mythological tragedies of Electra and Oedipus Rex.[17] "Skullqueen" mimics clubgoers stepping outside for fresh air before returning to the euphoric darkness of the club.[20] The album closes with "Joya", a ballad that has been compared to Homogenic-era Björk[19] and "closes iii on a note of all-encompassing peace".[15]

Critical reception

[edit source]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[22]
Metacritic78/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[24]
The A.V. ClubB−[18]
Evening StandardStarStarStarStar[25]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[16]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[20]
Loud and Quiet8/10[19]
NMEStarStarStarStar[17]
Pitchfork8.3/10 Best New Album[26]
The SkinnyStarStarStarStar[21]

On the review aggregator Metacritic, Kick III received "generally favorable reviews", based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 14 critics.[23] Red Dziri, writing for The Line of Best Fit, called Kick III "one of [Arca]'s most accomplished works to date".[20] Max Freedman of The A.V. Club identified "Incendio" as the "clear peak" of the entire quintet.[18] Safiya Hopfe of Exclaim! wrote that the album lacked narrative consistency but created an overpowering and inescapable atmosphere through its expansions and distillations of sound.[15] By contrast, Evening Standard critic David Smyth described the project as "hyperactive and jittery to a generally irritating extent".[25]

Kick III was named the second-best album of 2021 by The Atlantic[27] and was nominated for Best Electronic Record at the 2022 Libera Awards.[28]

Track listing

[edit source]

All tracks were written and produced by Arca, unless otherwise noted.[24]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bruja" (transl. Witch)
  • Arca
  • Benza
3:50
2."Incendio" (transl. Fire)
  • Ghersi
  • Mark Luva
  • Arca
  • Luva
2:44
3."Morbo" (transl. Morbid)  2:15
4."Fiera" (transl. Fierce)  4:28
5."Skullqueen"  2:33
6."Electra Rex"  2:08
7."Ripples"  2:09
8."Rubberneck"
  • Arca
  • Max Tundra
2:28
9."Señorita" (transl. Miss)
  • Arca
  • Machinedrum
2:21
10."My 2"  3:15
11."Intimate Flesh"  3:32
12."Joya" (transl. Jewel)  3:55
Total length:35:38

Release history

[edit source]
List of release dates, showing region, format, label and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 1 December 2021 XL [8]

Charts

[edit source]
Chart performance for Kick III
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Independent Album Breakers (Official Charts Company)[29] 14
US Current Album Sales (Billboard)[30] 80

References

[edit source]
  1. ↑ "Live From Quarantine, It's the Arca Show". Pitchfork. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  2. ↑ "Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' Remix Album Unlocks the Thrilling Potential of the Original". Junkee. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Arca, Doña (3 September 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 4 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Listen to Arca's entrancing new single 'Incendio'". NME. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Arca Shares New Song "Incendio," Announces Charity Concert Film". Pitchfork. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Arca announces another new album, KicK iii". Resident Advisor. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Arca 'Queers the Void' With New Album 'Kick iiii'". Rolling Stone. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. 1 2 "KicK iii – Arca". XL Recordings. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Arca releases 'KICK ii' project early". NME. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Arca's album visuals merge futurism and ancient symbolism". Creative Review. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. ↑ DuBois, Aymeric (6 December 2021). "Arca: Kick ii/iii/iiii/iiiii". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  12. ↑ Rettig, James (30 November 2021). "Album of the Week: Arca KicK iii". Stereogum. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  13. ↑ Lopez, Julyssa (17 November 2021). "Arca 'Queers the Void' With New Album 'Kick iiii'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  14. ↑ Muggs, Joe (27 November 2021). "Album: Arca – KICK ii / KICK iii / KICK iiii". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Hopfe, Safiya (3 December 2021). "Arca's 'KICK' Cycle Is an Explosive Exploration of Her Multidimensionality". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  16. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (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.
  17. 1 2 3 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.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Freedman, Max (3 December 2021). "Avant-pop artist Arca undercuts her musical impact by piling on too much at once". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 Butchard, Skye (3 December 2021). "Arca – KICK (ii–iiiii) Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 4 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.
  21. 1 2 3 Wade, Lewis (3 December 2021). "Arca album reviews: Kick ii–iiiii". The Skinny. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii by Arca Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  23. 1 2 "KicK iii by Arca Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  24. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "KicK III – Arca". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  25. 1 2 Smyth, David (3 December 2021). "Arca – KiCk ii/iii/iiii/iiiii review: 47 tracks of wild electronic experimentation". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  26. ↑ Sherburne, Philip (7 December 2021). "Arca album reviews: KICK ii/KicK iii/kick iiii/kiCK iiiii". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  27. ↑ Kornhaber, Spencer (14 December 2021). "The 10 Best Albums of 2021". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  28. ↑ Aswad, Jem (23 March 2022). "Japanese Breakfast, Jason Isbell, Arlo Parks Lead Indie-Music Collective A2IM's 2022 Libera Awards Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  29. ↑ "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart on 27/5/2022". Official Charts. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Arca Chart History (Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kick_III&oldid=1366523878"