At the time of
KiCk i's 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 i's most combustible and memorable moments, such as "Mequetrefe" (which she also incorporated into her remix of
Lady Gaga and
Ariana Grande's "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 there's a lot of filler, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Ghersi doesn't 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, couldn't sound or feel more different than "Born Yesterday," which combines the throaty power of
Sia's voice and grandly futuristic production into the theme for a sci-fi blockbuster, but they're both standouts. Even though
Arca narrows her focus on
Kick ii, it's still the product of an artist who can't help but break boundaries as she creates the space she needs to innovate. ~ Heather Phares
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