''Kick III'' (stylized as ''KicK iii'') is the sixth studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singer Arca. The album was scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but released early on 1 December 2021, through

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...

as a continuation to her 2020 record '' Kick I'', and is the third entry in the ''Kick'' quintet. ''

Kick II ''Kick II'' (stylized as ''KICK ii; pronounced “kick two”'') is the fifth studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singer Arca (musician), Arca. The album was scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but released early on 30 Novembe ...

'', ''Kick III'', ''

Kick IIII ''Kick IIII'' (stylized as ''kick iiii'') is the seventh studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singer Arca. The album was scheduled to be released on 3 December 2021, but released early on 2 December 2021, through XL Recordings as a cont ...

'' and ''

Kick IIIII ''Kick IIIII'' (stylized as ''kiCK iiiii'') is the eighth studio album by Venezuelan record producer and singer Arca. The album was surprise released on 3 December 2021 as the fifth and final entry in the ''Kick'' quintet. The album was released ...

'' were released the same week. ''Kick III'' is supported by lead single "Incendio" and "Electra Rex". The album received positive reviews from critics.

Background

Upon the release of '' Kick I'', news surfaced that Arca would be releasing two more ''Kick'' albums to make a trilogy. The artist took to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' to say: "There will be 5 volumes. The third one is a little bit more introverted than ''Kick I'', a little bit more like my self-titled album, I guess. The fourth one is

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

only, no vocals. Right now, the least defined one, strangely, is the third one. It's all gestating right now ..Each ''Kick'' exists in a kind of

quantum state In quantum physics, a quantum state is a mathematical entity that embodies the knowledge of a quantum system. Quantum mechanics specifies the construction, evolution, and measurement of a quantum state. The result is a prediction for the system ...

until the day that I send it to mastering. I try to not commit until I have to. But I have a vision for it. The second one is heavy on backbeats, vocal manipulation,

mania Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a Psychiatry, psychiatric Abnormality (behavior), behavioral syndrome defined as a state of Abnormality (behavior), abnormally elevated arousal, affect (psychology), affect, and energy level. During a mani ...

, and craziness." In the following year, Arca released her

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

'' Madre'' and took part in ''

Dawn of Chromatica ''Dawn of Chromatica'' is the third remix album by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, released on September 3, 2021, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Consisting of remixes of songs from Gaga's sixth studio album, '' Chromatica'' (2020), t ...

'', a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

, where she remixed the

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

collaboration " Rain on Me". While talking about the song on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, Arca stated: "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". On September 27, the producer released the single "Incendio" to critical acclaim. ''Kick III'' was announced on November 9, alongside the single release of "Electra Rex". It was to be released the same day as ''Kick II''. Arca's description of the album had updated significantly by this time, described as "a portal directly into the more manic, violently

euphoric Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and danci ...

and aggressively

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

sound palettes in the series" and "the most incendiary entry in the ''Kick'' universe." With ''Kick IIII'''s announcement, Arca confirmed ''Kick III'''s sonic palette would focus "more on heavy club music". The album was released early on 1 December 2021, one day after the release of ''Kick II''. Its cover art was photographed by Frederik Heyman.

Composition

''Kick III'' is a

deconstructed club Deconstructed club, also known as post-club or deconstructed music, is an experimental style of electronic dance music characterized by a post-modernist approach and an abrasive or dystopian tone. It stands opposed to the tropes of mainstream club ...

glitch hop Glitch is a genre of experimental electronic music that emerged in the 1990s, which is distinguished by the deliberate use of glitches in audio media and other sonic artifacts. The sounds featured in glitch tracks usually come from audio record ...

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

album. Opener "Bruja" is "a

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

track, filled with sass and contagious energy". "Incendio" is an industrial rap song that "showcases Ghersi’s sound design at its most inventive. Noises from passing vehicles get as much space as ballistic percussive clamor, and the rampage makes her shapeshifting vocal delivery—breathless quasi-raps, fiery shouts, childlike snickering—consistently hair-raising" "Rubberneck" is a blend of IDM and operatic pop and contains "punishing industrial thuds" and "a sense of controlled chaos". "Señorita" is a " glitchy"

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

-inflected song that functions as the "record's punchy lyrical centerpiece". "Electra Rex" is "underpinned by a cavernous trap beat that makes way for syncopated percussions and combines the Greek mythological tragedies of

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

and

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

. "Skullqueen "mimicks club-goers going out to catch some fresh air before heading back in the euphoric darkness of Arca’s

bash". Album closer "Joya" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

that has been compared to ''

Homogenic ''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 22 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell (British musician), Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dra ...

''-era

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

and "closes ''iii'' on a note of all-encompassing peace".

Critical reception

On the review aggregate site

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, ''Kick III'' received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 14 critics. Red Dziri, writing for ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' called ''Kick III'' "one of

rca RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

s most accomplished works to date". ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

''s Max Freedman called "Incendio" the "clear peak" of the entire quintet. Safiya Hopfe of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' opined that "the album bears little narrative consistency—only expansions and distillations of sound which create an ambience so overpowering it is inescapable". However, the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' writer David Smyth called the project "hyperactive and jittery to a generally irritating extent". ''Kick III'' was named the second best album of 2021 by ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', and was nominated for Best Electronic Album at the 2022 Libera Awards.

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Arca, unless noted otherwise.

Release history

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2021 albums Albums produced by Arca (musician) Arca (musician) albums XL Recordings albums Reggaeton albums Tecnocumbia albums Psychedelic music albums Noise music albums Sequel albums