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Xen is the debut studio album by Venezuelan electronic musician Arca, released on 4 November 2014 through Mute Records.[4] The album was recorded over a largely improvised six-month period in 2014.[5]

Xen
Studio album by Arca
Released	4 November 2014 (2014-11-04)
Recorded	2014 [1]
Genre	Electronic[2] experimental[3]
Length	39:24
Label	Mute
Producer	Arca
Arca chronology
&&&&& (2013) Xen (2014) Sheep (2015)
Singles from Xen
"Thievery" Released: 30 September 2014 "Now You Know" Released: 31 October 2014 "Xen" Released: 17 November 2014 "Sad Bitch" / "Wound" Released: 16 April 2015

Background

The title of the album is a reference to Ghersi's "feminine spirit" as portrayed in the album artwork and videos. According to the artist, the designer Jesse Kanda asked "if I had a girl's name when I was a kid, I told him that I have this image in my head when I listen to a song of mine that I really love or that I feel happy with. I move really slowly in a very effeminate way [and] close my eyes and I see this naked being who exists in front of an audience. Everyone is simultaneously attracted to it and repulsed".[6]

Upon reflection she felt that "Those were all projections of my psyche; of how I viewed my own sexuality and how I engaged with people through the lens of sensuality. Xen is an 'it'. I lean towards calling Xen 'her' in response to the fact that society historically leans towards men having more power. Me calling Xen 'her' is an equalisation of that."[6] This is reflected in the video for the song "Thievery". Ghersi noted that the song-titles have little meaning except for "Failed" which was written about her then-boyfriend Daniel Sannwald.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.8/10[7]
Metacritic	79/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Consequence	A−[10]
Mixmag	5/5[11]
Mojo	[12]
The Observer	[13]
Pitchfork	8.4/10[3]
Q	[14]
Resident Advisor	3.5/5[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
Uncut	8/10[17]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] AllMusic said "the way Arca plays with and decorates time, letting sounds and moods mutate spontaneously, makes Xen a complete picture of [her] artistry and also promises much more."[9] Clash described the album as a "captivating, at times unexplainable reaching of pained highs and battered lows."[18] Consequence stated that Arca's "time alongside Gesaffelstein added to [her] understanding of the space between beats, and the emotive power of these hesitations."[10] The Observer said Xen is "one of those albums that elegantly restates the appeal of digital music, expressing hues and states of being that fall outside the analogue spectrum."[13]

Pitchfork stated: "Taken as a whole, it is an album about unstable unities, things that cannot easily hold together, wholes breaking to pieces and being put back together again in new and unfamiliar shapes."[3] PopMatters said: "This is uncompromising stuff, with little holding back, and the end effect is one that wears not just its heart, but its soul, on its sleeve."[2] Resident Advisor said "Xen remains as singular–and often as brilliant–as the rest of the Arca catalogue."[15] Fact wrote: "Even if [her] chops as a producer aren't in question, the writing on Xen is too patchy to fully realise Ghersi's ambitions. Still, it's hardly lacking in ideas."[19]

Track listing

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23]	109
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[24]	8
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24]	47
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[24]	6

References

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