Bleep

Arca drops his second album almost exactly one year after his well-beloved debut, Xen. It arrives at a time when the Venezuelan experimental musician/producer has never been more in demand, thanks in no small part to a hefty co-production credit on Björk’s acclaimed ninth album Vulnicura. Whereas Arca’s production work with other vocalists and musicians allows him to bring a touch of strangeness to traditional songwriting forms, his albums have always presented an opportunity for him to follow his instinct, arriving at something that often sounds more personal and more delicate as a result. Mutant is a more extroverted album than Xen, placing a larger emphasis on scorching melodies and twisted beats than his debut: just listen to the gunfire rhythms of ‘Sinner’ or the Autechre-esque flavours of ‘Front Load’ for proof. But remnants of Xen’s emotional expressiveness remain intact elsewhere. ‘Else’ is a piano composition that sounds stark and forlorn, while ‘Snakes’ captures the same feelings of abstract isolation that an artist like Visionist manages to articulate so well. Otherwise, Arca’s considerable talents as a producer have never been on clearer display, with tracks like ‘Gratitud’ containing a miniature universe of sound that will reveal itself to attentive listeners.