{"id":2071461,"date":"2026-07-31T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2071461"},"modified":"2026-07-31T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:30:13","slug":"arca-xxxxx-review-a-psychedelic-trip-from-electronicas-great-experimentalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2071461","title":{"rendered":"Arca \u2013 \u2018XXXXX\u2019 review: a psychedelic trip from electronica\u2019s great experimentalist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Arca-Credit-Saint-aka-Cassandra-Antoniades.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Arca-Credit-Saint-aka-Cassandra-Antoniades-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Arca XXXXX review\" title=\"Arca Credit Saint aka Cassandra Antoniades\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Arca. Credit: Saint aka Cassandra Antoniades<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Arca \u2013 \u2018XXXXX\u2019 review: a psychedelic trip from electronica\u2019s great experimentalist<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The Venezuela-born, Barcelona-based polymath is at home in distortion on her most probing project in years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">3.5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Sara Delgado<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-31T10:30:13+01:00\">31st July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>It\u2019s hard to know what to expect every time Arca extends an invite to a new world. If Alejandra Ghersi\u2019s ambitious 2021 pentalogy \u2018Kick\u2019 was a dip into mainstream avant-pop, then her new album \u2018XXXXX\u2019 is her retreat into introspection, where she thrives unrestrained and unbound amid chaos and distortion. Described as \u201ceverything all at once\u201d, Arca dances between psychedelia and arrhythmia on the record, weaving an intoxicating web that lures listeners into her lone techno lair.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Growth, girlhood, and getting down: for FLO, \u2018Therapy At The Club\u2019 captures the spirit of life and love in your twenties<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Though \u2018XXXXX\u2019 seems most at home in distortion \u2013 offering different takes in \u2018Heart\u2019, \u2018Raver\u2019, \u2018Futurality\u2019 and \u2018Grip\u2019 \u2013 there are other elements that rail back its riotous chaos. \u2018Finisher\u2019 is Arca\u2019s take on classical music, blending ominous strings with hauntingly eerie synths. The track is almost entirely instrumental, but ends with a murmured poem: <i>\u201cYou\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/i> The sprechgesang transitions into \u2018Taconeando\u2019, showing Arca now in full \u201cperra\u201d form with pulsating bass and audacious lyrics. <i>\u201cI know you want me to come,\u201d<\/i> she sings. <i>\u201cWho wants it? She wants it.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u2018Fxck\u2019 is undoubtedly the gem of the album, and perhaps the most palatable and rhythmic of the bunch. It\u2019s built upon a pared-down reggaeton-tinged base and features the lewd and loud lyrics Arca is known for. <i>\u201cFuck me as you love me, fuck me til\u2019 I pass out,\u201d<\/i> she sings before proclaiming <i>\u201ckill the father\u201d<\/i> as a CTA to break the gender script of society. Similarly, in \u2018Eidolon\u2019, she screams to <i>\u201clet Troy burn\u201d<\/i> and <i>\u201cburn the earth\u201d<\/i>. It\u2019s 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. <i>\u201cBreak it,\u201d<\/i> Arca repeats, before her AutoTuned speech calls out <i>\u201cI swear to God\u201d<\/i> and the track explodes into glitch galore.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Arca - Fxck (XXXXX Livestream)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QV-Y3aVJdcY?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Arca ends the album on a softer but harrowing note with \u2018Sue\u00f1o\u2019, a soft, wrenching and trippy cry for help evoking past projects like \u2018Xen\u2019. <i>\u201cStop, turn it off, off,\u201d<\/i> she bellows, toeing the line between vulnerability and rage. She also strings other instrumentals aplenty into \u2018XXXXX\u2019 \u2013 from ambient interludes like \u2018Throb\u2019 to ricocheting crescendos like \u2018Syncope\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>Intractable, disorienting and abrasive, \u2018XXXXX\u2019 is a record that\u2019s 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 \u2018XXXXX\u2019, even if that means risking alienating the rest of the public.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Arca-XXXXX-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"arca xxxxx review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> XL Recordings<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> July 31, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Arca<\/li>\n<li>Electronic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Massive Attack under investigation for displaying Palestinian flag at Singapore show<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Aphex Twin\u2019s \u2018Drukqs\u2019 set for 25th anniversary vinyl reissue<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Kavinsky told NME how another collab with The Weeknd could have been on the way \u201csoon\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div 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year<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>It\u2019s hard to know what to expect every time Arca extends an invite to a new world. If Alejandra Ghersi\u2019s ambitious 2021 pentalogy \u2018Kick\u2019 was a dip into mainstream avant-pop, then her new album \u2018XXXXX\u2019 is her retreat into introspection, where she thrives unrestrained and unbound amid chaos and distortion. Described as \u201ceverything all at once\u201d, Arca dances between psychedelia and arrhythmia on the record, weaving an intoxicating web that lures listeners into her lone techno lair.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Growth, girlhood, and getting down: for FLO, \u2018Therapy At The Club\u2019 captures the spirit of life and love in your twenties<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Though \u2018XXXXX\u2019 seems most at home in distortion \u2013 offering different takes in \u2018Heart\u2019, \u2018Raver\u2019, \u2018Futurality\u2019 and \u2018Grip\u2019 \u2013 there are other elements that rail back its riotous chaos. \u2018Finisher\u2019 is Arca\u2019s take on classical music, blending ominous strings with hauntingly eerie synths. The track is almost entirely instrumental, but ends with a murmured poem: <i>\u201cYou\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/i> The sprechgesang transitions into \u2018Taconeando\u2019, showing Arca now in full \u201cperra\u201d form with pulsating bass and audacious lyrics. <i>\u201cI know you want me to come,\u201d<\/i> she sings. <i>\u201cWho wants it? She wants it.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u2018Fxck\u2019 is undoubtedly the gem of the album, and perhaps the most palatable and rhythmic of the bunch. It\u2019s built upon a pared-down reggaeton-tinged base and features the lewd and loud lyrics Arca is known for. <i>\u201cFuck me as you love me, fuck me til\u2019 I pass out,\u201d<\/i> she sings before proclaiming <i>\u201ckill the father\u201d<\/i> as a CTA to break the gender script of society. Similarly, in \u2018Eidolon\u2019, she screams to <i>\u201clet Troy burn\u201d<\/i> and <i>\u201cburn the earth\u201d<\/i>. It\u2019s 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. <i>\u201cBreak it,\u201d<\/i> Arca repeats, before her AutoTuned speech calls out <i>\u201cI swear to God\u201d<\/i> and the track explodes into glitch galore.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Arca - Fxck (XXXXX Livestream)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QV-Y3aVJdcY?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Arca ends the album on a softer but harrowing note with \u2018Sue\u00f1o\u2019, a soft, wrenching and trippy cry for help evoking past projects like \u2018Xen\u2019. <i>\u201cStop, turn it off, off,\u201d<\/i> she bellows, toeing the line between vulnerability and rage. She also strings other instrumentals aplenty into \u2018XXXXX\u2019 \u2013 from ambient interludes like \u2018Throb\u2019 to ricocheting crescendos like \u2018Syncope\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>Intractable, disorienting and abrasive, \u2018XXXXX\u2019 is a record that\u2019s 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 \u2018XXXXX\u2019, even if that means risking alienating the rest of the public.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Arca-XXXXX-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"arca xxxxx review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> XL Recordings<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> July 31, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/arca-xxxxx-review-3960009&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Arca-Credit-Saint-aka-Cassandra-Antoniades.jpg&#8221;] Arca. Credit: Saint aka Cassandra Antoniades ReviewsAlbum Reviews Arca \u2013 \u2018XXXXX\u2019 review: a psychedelic trip from electronica\u2019s great experimentalist The Venezuela-born, Barcelona-based polymath is at home in distortion on her most probing project in years 3.5 By Sara Delgado 31st July 2026 It\u2019s hard to know what to expect every time Arca [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2071461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2071461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2071461\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2071461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2071461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2071461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}