''Stretch 2'' is an

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.

by Venezuelan producer Arca. It was released on 6 August 2012 by UNO NYC, following its predecessor ''Stretch 1'' in April.

Composition

Primarily an

electronic hip-hop Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and Hip hop music, hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s. British group ...

album, ''Stretch 2'' features

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

time signatures, warped pitches, and "a kind of post-millennial take on

trip-hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...

with a debt to

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 ...

", as well as influences from

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

, and

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

Critical reception

Andrew Ryce of ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...

'' called ''Stretch 2'' "a mood record, unforgivingly dark and antisocial" and that "Though erplayful hip-hop vignettes are nice little curios, the album's real eye-openers are when hestretches out." Ryce praised the EP's "beautifully tortured production", use of harsh effects, and Arca's "sometimes (unsettlingly) legible" vocals. Birkut of ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

'' called the EP a "remarkable listen that’s constantly negotiating what constitutes fun and fear".

Track listing

References

{{Arca 2012 EPs Arca (musician) albums Albums produced by Arca (musician) Electronic EPs Hip hop EPs Trip hop EPs Sequel albums