In the music world, Alejandro Ghersi is predominantly known as a great producer. He worked with Kanye West, Bjork, Kelela and FKA Twigs until he decided to do his own stuff. Mutant is his second album and while it helped him to get more attention., it is significantly lower in quality compared to his first effort. That’s my final conviction.
Arca has built his way by collaborating with talented artists, but he decided to write his using unusual words. It is an electronic story with industrial and experimental hip-hop influences. Mutant is what you expect it to be – a hybrid of different genres. Unfortunately, the mutant was born before its time. When you listen to it for the first time, it sounds too noisy. I had a feeling like he just put a bunch of shit on a pile just so that he could say ‘’I have made an album’’. The record has twenty songs, and I wasn’t able to differentiate them. I am not sure If it would be possible to choose a single from this cacophonic noise aiming to tell us nothing.
To be honest, I am still in shock. How is it possible to be a great producer and bad solo artist? Arca is drowning in a sea of various genres. There is not one single wave that listener can surf on. Ok, I am blowing this out of proportion. There is one track that I could appreciate. It’s called Sinner and it’s totally ambient with a bit of industrial vibe. But that’s it. Everything else makes my ears annoyed.
Arca has tried to make something that would make him stand out. He succeeded on his debut. Mutant is just too ambitious and unfinished. For example, Sever and Faggot are completely unlistenable. It is not that I don’t like industrial, because I do. It’s just that this is a caricature of industrial. If you add hip hop to it, it is clear that you can’t get anything attractive. Snakes and Front Load are the most experimental tracks. The confusion can not get any bigger.
Mutant is a monster. Not in a good way.
