Mutant (album)

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Mutant
A red figure whose body resembles a cardiac with long, black extensions on the sides of its head resembling horns and eyes with white pupils and black scleras and thin, long arms
Studio album by
Arca
Released20 November 2015 (2015-11-20)
Genre
Length62:06
LabelMute
ProducerAlejandra Ghersi
Arca chronology
Sheep
(2015) 		Mutant
(2015) 		Entrañas
(2016)
Singles from Mutant
  1. "Vanity"
    Released: 31 May 2015
  2. "Soichiro"
    Released: 28 September 2015
  3. "EN"
    Released: 15 October 2015
  4. "Front Load"
    Released: 23 November 2015

Mutant is the second studio album by Venezuelan electronic music producer Arca. It was released on 20 November 2015 via Mute.[2]

According to Arca, the album chronicles, "sensuality and impulsiveness as escape routes out of rigidity".[2] It has been labeled as a noise, trap,[3] industrial and experimental album.[4] To promote Mutant, four singles were released. Upon release, the album was critically acclaimed[5] and was ranked as Tiny Mix Tapes' favorite album of 2015.[6]

Composition[edit]

The Independent described Mutant as an album of "intricately layered sound collages" in which Arca employs mostly machine-made textures "to convey extremes of emotion – be it euphoria, menace, paranoia, melancholy."[7] Sam Richards of NME wrote that while Arca was clearly influenced by R&B, hip hop and dubstep, they distort and subvert these "familiar aural cues", "never allowing [their] beats to lock into conventional grooves." They commented that "Sever" and "Faggot" use elements of trap, while the calm interludes "Else" and "Extent" act as counterpoints to the record's "more disorientating noise assaults."[3]

Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian said that Mutant profiles Arca's experimental work, eschewing the "corrupted hip-hop beats" of their earlier work in favour of a style that had grown "[i]ncreasingly unaccountable to any kind of rhythmic framework". They added that the music often typically comprises "stabs of industrial sound that eventually assemble into a cranking, Frankenstein's monster of a refrain".[4] Simon Chandler of PopMatters said that "Mutant has Arca throwing everything — glitch, IDM, dubstep, industrial, techno, ambient, noise and world music — into an experimental microcosm of a record, an electronic hothouse where every conceivable touchstone coexists in an awkward, ugly but ultimately breathtaking harmony." They considered this "brand of inchoate, diversified electronica to be "music for a globalized world, for an Earth in which ancient traditions sit alongside the often devastating power of new technologies".[1]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[8]
Metacritic81/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
ConsequenceB+[10]
Financial Times[11]
The Guardian[12]
NME4/5[13]
The Observer[14]
Pitchfork8.4/10[15]
Resident Advisor3.2/5[16]
Spin8/10[17]
ViceA−[18]

Mutant received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[5]

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork gave the album a very positive review, stating, "Compared to Xen, Mutant feels less composed and less indebted to classical music. With many tracks on the former album you could squint a little bit and imagine them being performed by a daring new music ensemble, à la Aphex Twin with Alarm Will Sound. But Mutant leans toward soundscape, avoiding proper songs." Richardson concludes, "On Mutant, Ghersi turns a fixation on porousness and instability into a kind of spiritual pursuit."[15]

Writing for Exclaim!, Daryl Keating said Mutant "is an album that is eventually rewarding, but only to those who are determined to follow its scattered pathway to the satisfying, aggregate end."[19]

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015
38[20]
Tiny Mix Tapes 2015: Favorite 50 Music Releases 2015
1[21]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Alejandra Ghersi

No.TitleLength
1."Alive"3:56
2."Mutant"7:27
3."Vanity"4:16
4."Sinner"3:35
5."Anger"2:00
6."Sever"2:13
7."Beacon"0:48
8."Snakes"4:50
9."Else"2:30
10."Umbilical"2:09
11."Hymn"1:57
12."Front Load"2:44
13."Gratitud" (transl. Gratitude)3:44
14."EN"3:04
15."Siren Interlude"0:43
16."Extent"2:34
17."Enveloped"2:22
18."Faggot"3:10
19."Soichiro"4:35
20."Peonies"3:29
Total length:62:06
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
21."Ashland"5:07
Total length:67:13

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[22] 9
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[23] 20

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "The 80 Best Albums of 2015". 12 August 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b Minsker, Evan; Strauss, Matthew (15 October 2015). "Arca Details New Album Mutant, Shares "EN" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b Richards, Sam (19 November 2015). "Arca – 'Mutant'". NME. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b Aroesti, Rachel (19 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant review – distressing and transcendental sonic experiments". the Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Reviews for Mutant by Arca". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  6. ^ "2015: 50 Favorite Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  7. ^ Cairns, Dan; Edwards, Mark; Verrico, Lisa; Davis, Clive. "Pop, Rock and Jazz, Nov 29". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Mutant by Arca reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  9. ^ Phares, Heather. "Mutant – Arca". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  10. ^ Geffen, Sasha (18 November 2015). "Arca – Mutant". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  11. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (20 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant — review". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  12. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (19 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant review – distressing and transcendental sonic experiments". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  13. ^ Richards, Sam (19 November 2015). "Arca – 'Mutant'". NME. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  14. ^ Empire, Kitty (22 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant review – digital shape-shifting". The Observer. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  15. ^ a b Richardson, Mark (18 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  16. ^ Finlayson, Angus (20 November 2015). "Arca – Mutant". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  17. ^ Joyce, Colin (19 November 2015). "Review: Arca Explores the Sexuality of Electronic Abstractions on 'Mutant'". Spin. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (4 December 2015). "Cybergrunge and Future Electronics: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  19. ^ Keating, Daryl (18 November 2015). "Arca: Mutant". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  20. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  21. ^ "2015: 50 Favorite Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  22. ^ "Arca Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Arca Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
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