''Mutant'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Venezuelan electronic music producer Arca. It was released on 20 November 2015 via

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. According to Arca, the album chronicles, "sensuality and impulsiveness as escape routes out of rigidity". It has been labeled as a

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and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

album. To promote ''Mutant'', four singles were released. Upon release, the album was critically acclaimed and was ranked as

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' favorite album of 2015.

Critical reception

''Mutant'' received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 81, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Mark Richardson of ''

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'' gave the album a very positive review, stating, "Compared to '' Xen'', ''Mutant'' feels less composed and less indebted to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

. With many tracks on the former album you could squint a little bit and imagine them being performed by a daring new music ensemble, à la

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...

with

Alarm Will Sound Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the ''Financial Times' ...

. But ''Mutant'' leans toward soundscape, avoiding proper songs." Richardson concludes, "On ''Mutant'', Ghersi turns a fixation on porousness and instability into a kind of spiritual pursuit." Writing for ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', Daryl Keating said ''Mutant'' "is an album that is eventually rewarding, but only to those who are determined to follow its scattered pathway to the satisfying, aggregate end."

Track listing

Personnel

*Songwriter/producer – Alejandra Ghersi *Artwork –

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*Mastered By –

Matt Colton Matt Colton (born 30 March 1975) is an English mastering engineer and member of the mastering group of the Music Producers Guild. He has mastered recordings for artists such as Muse, Coldplay, James Blake, George Michael, Hot Chip, Gary Numa ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Mute Records albums Albums produced by Arca (musician) Arca (musician) albums Glitch (music) albums Dubstep albums Industrial albums Ambient albums World music albums