Arca returns with first album in five years, details 'XXXXX' and Barcelona livestream

The two-hour performance, which starts at 9:30 pm CEST, will be broadcast from Barcelona on Twitch and YouTube, spanning seven distinct locations and incorporating multiple unreleased album tracks. Styled by Akeem Smith, the production is presented with support from Feeld. “With Feeld’s support and investment, we’re able to put on a show for you with full glam and budget,” Arca said. “Thank you for supporting experimental art. Please tune in. We’re working really hard to create a great show for you, wherever you are.”

XXXXX arrives five years after the twice-GRAMMY-nominated KiCk i and the four records that followed, a run that cemented the Venezuelan-born producer, vocalist, and visual artist as one of contemporary music’s most restless shapeshifters. The 16-track album was initially conceived as a mixtape, and Arca describes the pivot as a deliberate break with expectation. “It seems playful, also mischievous, to interrupt that autopilot,” she says.

The record pulls towards darker, more aggressive territory than much of the KICK era, leaning into contradiction and raw instinct in a way that recalls earlier long-form transmissions such as @@@@@ and &&&&&.

Since winding down the KICK cycle, Arca has kept up a steady stream of activity. Earlier this year she staged her first painting exhibition at London’s ICA. Musically she has released the double-sided single “Puta” / “Sola”, remixed tracks for Addison Rae, Robyn and Hikaru Utada, collaborated with Tokischa on “Chama”, and contributed production to Madonna’s CONFESSIONS II. She has also walked runways at major fashion weeks and composed the original score for Stillz’s film Barrio Triste.

XXXXX artwork

XXXXX tracklist

"No End"
"Willow"
"Eidolon"
"Heart"
"Syncope"
"Raver"
"Cinch"
"Fxck"
"Finisher"
"Taconeando"
"Futurality"
"Grip"
"Enraptured"
"Throb"
"Everything"
"Sueño"