Arca releases new project Madre

The four-track project features a collaboration with London-based cellist Oliver Coates.

Arca is back with a new release entitled Madre. The project sees Arca teaming up with London-based cellist, composer and producer Oliver Coates. Madre opens with a sprawling nine-minute title track before diving into a trio of alternative versions. Coates has previously collaborated with the likes of Radiohead and Mica Levi

I wrote Madre years ago, and I did Madreviolo playing the cello myself, before working with Oliver,” Arca said. “After recording Madreviolo, I destroyed the cello I bought specifically for this. It had to be like a one-time thing for the version where I pitched up my vocal to castrati registers. But the original version with my unprocessed vocals, which felt a necessary version to share alongside Madreviolo needed an arrangement that I could envision but couldn’t hear. When I shared the acapella version with Oliver there was an insane resonance and chemistry; where he took it felt like the place I dreamed of but couldn’t reach without him.”

The new release from the Barcelona-based artist follows on from 2020’s KiCK i LP, which featured in Crack Magazine’s Albums of the Year list.

Madre is out now on XL Recordings. Listen below.