It’s hard to know what to expect every time Arca extends an invite to a new world. If Alejandra Ghersi’s ambitious 2021 pentalogy ‘Kick’ was a dip into mainstream avant-pop, then her new album ‘XXXXX’ is her retreat into introspection, where she thrives unrestrained and unbound amid chaos and distortion. Described as “everything all at once”, Arca dances between psychedelia and arrhythmia on the record, weaving an intoxicating web that lures listeners into her lone techno lair.

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Though ‘XXXXX’ seems most at home in distortion – offering different takes in ‘Heart’, ‘Raver’, ‘Futurality’ and ‘Grip’ – there are other elements that rail back its riotous chaos. ‘Finisher’ is Arca’s take on classical music, blending ominous strings with hauntingly eerie synths. The track is almost entirely instrumental, but ends with a murmured poem: “You’ve never really been alone and all the love you need, all the love you needed, is within you. Now that you know it, get diva.” The sprechgesang transitions into ‘Taconeando’, showing Arca now in full “perra” form with pulsating bass and audacious lyrics. “I know you want me to come,” she sings. “Who wants it? She wants it.”

‘Fxck’ is undoubtedly the gem of the album, and perhaps the most palatable and rhythmic of the bunch. It’s built upon a pared-down reggaeton-tinged base and features the lewd and loud lyrics Arca is known for. “Fuck me as you love me, fuck me til’ I pass out,” she sings before proclaiming “kill the father” as a CTA to break the gender script of society. Similarly, in ‘Eidolon’, she screams to “let Troy burn” and “burn the earth”. It’s ensnaring and shows a glimpse of vulnerability, which is key considering the themes of humans both against and imbued in the machine in her oeuvre. “Break it,” Arca repeats, before her AutoTuned speech calls out “I swear to God” and the track explodes into glitch galore.

Arca ends the album on a softer but harrowing note with ‘Sueño’, a soft, wrenching and trippy cry for help evoking past projects like ‘Xen’. “Stop, turn it off, off,” she bellows, toeing the line between vulnerability and rage. She also strings other instrumentals aplenty into ‘XXXXX’ – from ambient interludes like ‘Throb’ to ricocheting crescendos like ‘Syncope’ that attack listeners and then suddenly stop. These tracks act like a glue holding the album together, and are often the only respite from the intensity.

Intractable, disorienting and abrasive, ‘XXXXX’ is a record that’s unwilling to settle for a single sound, even if that means giving in to sonic fracture. At times, the flow is lost and cacophony takes over; it might be necessary to stop and regroup before carrying on listening. But this contradictory and mind-boggling mix is precisely what Arca was after, proving her soundscapes have no boundaries nor commercial ties. For IDM purists, this is probably the biggest win of ‘XXXXX’, even if that means risking alienating the rest of the public.

Details

• Record label: XL Recordings
• Release date: July 31, 2026