Arca—Mutant (Mute, 2015)
Mutant is an ambiguous yet frenzied analysis of traditional pop customs. Since becoming a Kanye West affiliate, Arca has been driving music conventions into more audacious territories with a lush and enigmatic hip-hop leaning. With this recent sonic composite, Arca has fortified himself as a true purveyor of noise. Mutant interweaves sonically lethal textures and angular tones with radio-ready production cues. The record’s heft lies in its strong, overarching aesthetic, not its melodic quality. If Mutant is true to its titular, Arca is in an adamant pursuit to supplant preconceived musical notions. This endeavor resembles pop at its most deranged and undeniably its most fascinating. It’s evident that Arca’s ambitions haven’t fallen on deaf ears and Mutant serves as an unnerving voyage into his personal musical dystopia.
Trial Track: “En”
8/10
