In anticipation of his upcoming album, Mutant, Arca released the album’s second single, “Soichiro,” which holds true to his trip-hop form. It’s titled after the middle name of his friend and frequent collaborator, Jesse Kanda. The track is accompanied by a minimalist video that matches the song’s subtle, trippy emptiness.
“Soichiro” wraps the listener in a comfortable blanket and applies ever-tighter pressure as the song progresses. From the first sound, you can hear the familiar industrial kicks that accompany songs like “Two Weeks” on FKA Twigs’ EP2 (an album Arca produced) but that are also reminiscent of industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails. The water-dripping mechanical beat fades in and out throughout to create the song’s patchy momentum. It completely drops near the middle of the song, as an Eastern-inspired synth riff lingers over a slow-moving bass and keeps the listener in their dreamlike and paranoid trance. It’s the type of scary comfort that kills you slowly by entrancing you and sucking out your energy until a lethargy spills over you that you cannot combat.