ARTIST OF THE DAY
Arca: a Sannwald-directed "Fxck" video, ahead of the XXXXX vinyl
The Venezuelan-born producer, vocalist and visual artist has released a new cut of the "Fxck" video from her XL Recordings album *XXXXX*. Director Daniel Sannwald builds it from footage of her two-hour Barcelona livestream, and the vinyl edition is due in November.
Arca has shared a video for "Fxck", a track from her album XXXXX, Clash reported on 22 October. Director Daniel Sannwald assembles the defining images and performances of her album-launch livestream into what the magazine calls a collage. According to Clash, the XXXXX vinyl arrives in record shops on 13 November. XL's US webstore gives a slightly later window, saying vinyl "will ship in Late November or Early December".
The album
XXXXX came out on 31 July on XL Recordings, according to The Line of Best Fit and The Fader. It is her first full-length album since the KICK series, a five-part project whose first instalment, KiCk i, received two Grammy nominations. The 16 tracks began life as a mixtape, in the line of her earlier &&&&& (2013) and @@@@@ (2020). The label's own description calls the record darker, more aggressive and more experimental than her previous work. On the cover, Arca appears as a biomechanical figure alongside two owls. A special white-label gatefold double LP was limited to 300 personalised, screen-printed copies.
In the label's release notes, Arca says: "It seems playful, also mischievous, to interrupt that autopilot" (Beggars Group / XL).
Diva.Experimental
The album was launched with "Diva.Experimental", a two-hour livestream broadcast from Barcelona on Twitch and YouTube on 23 July. It moved through seven locations, with Sannwald directing and Akeem Smith styling. Clash describes the setting as an abandoned factory. Arca credited the dating app Feeld for funding the production: "With Feeld's support and investment, we're able to put on a show for you with full glam and budget" (The Line of Best Fit).
On 31 July she posted twelve performance videos drawn from that broadcast, including "Willow", "Fxck", "Finisher", "Tacondeando" and the closer "Sueño" (mxdwn). mxdwn reports that in the "Fxck" and "Finisher" sequences she covers herself and a canvas in paint and synthetic blood. The new Sannwald video reworks that material into a single piece.
Beyond the record
Arca's work in 2026 has gone well beyond one album. According to The Line of Best Fit, this year brought her first exhibition of paintings, at London's ICA. She has also produced for Madonna's CONFESSIONS II, remixed Addison Rae, Robyn and Hikaru Utada, and released "Chama" with Tokischa. She has also scored Stillz's film Barrio Triste and walked in major fashion weeks.
With the vinyl due, "Fxck" adds to a body of work in which music, image and performance are one project. That is the reason for a club audience to keep watching her.
Sources
Facts, dates and prices in this article were checked on 28 October 2026 against the official and press sources linked in the text. Promoters' and companies' claims are attributed to them. Details can change, so check the official links before you travel or buy tickets.