''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 ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...

as a continuation to her 2020 record ''

Kick I ''Kick I'' (stylized as ''KiCk i''; pronounced "kick one") is the fourth studio album by Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca. Recorded between Barcelona and London, the album was released on 26 June 2020 through XL Recordings. ''Kick I'' ...

'', and is the third entry in the ''Kick'' quintet. '' Kick II'', ''Kick III'', '' Kick IIII'' 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 ''

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

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' to say: "There will be four 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 The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

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 provides a probability distribution for the outcomes of each possible measurement on a system. Knowledge of the quantum state together with the rules for the system's evolution i ...

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

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

'' Madre'' and took part in ''

Dawn of Chromatica ''Dawn of Chromatica'' is the third remix album by American singer Lady Gaga, released on September 3, 2021, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Consisting of remixes of songs from her sixth studio album, ''Chromatica'' (2020), the album embr ...

'', 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. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, where she remixed the Ariana Grande collaboration " Rain on Me". While talking about the song on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

, 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 da ...

and aggressively psychedelic 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, glitch hop, psychedelic,

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

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, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

, dance, and

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

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

album. Opener "Bruja" is "a ballroom 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 Operatic pop or popera is a subgenre of pop music that is performed in an operatic singing style or a song, theme or motif from classical music stylized as pop. The subgenre is often performed by classical crossover singers and acts, although that ...

and contains "punishing industrial thuds" and "a sense of controlled chaos". "Señorita" is a " glitchy" hip hop-inflected song that functions as the "record's punchy lyrical centerpiece". "Electra Rex" is "underpinned by a cavernous

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

beat that makes way for syncopated percussions and combines the Greek mythological tragedies of Electra and Oedipus Rex. "Skullqueen "mimicks club-goers going out to catch some fresh air before heading back in the euphoric darkness of Arca’s glitch hop bash". Album closer "Joya" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that has been compared to ''

Homogenic ''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 20 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dravs, the album marked a styli ...

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

Critical reception

On the review aggregate site

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

, ''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 The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

s most accomplished works to date". ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American 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 cre ...

''s Max Freedman called "Incendio" the "clear peak" of the entire quintet. Safiya Hopfe of '' Exclaim!'' 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 ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' 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. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', 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