Album Review: Arlo Parks – ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’
Few of us could look back at the year of 2020 and remember it as a year of optimism, recalled with great fondness. Yet if there was one good thing to take away, it was our introduction to Arlo Parks, the 20-year-old west Londoner who captured our hearts and brought a healing power with her music.
Sharing her anticipated debut album ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’, it’s a balm to all of the jostles of adolescence and growing pains. Whether you are currently experiencing them or have their impact imprinted upon your memory, the accompanying feelings have resurfaced for everyone amidst the sudden changes thrust upon us last year and ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ is a welcome soundtrack as we continue to navigate the ever-changing world.
Paying homage to her poetic roots with titular opening ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’, you’re dipped into a soothing texture of gently-strummed guitars and shimmering electronics, while effortless spoken vocals immediately take you deep into the musician’s perspective as she reassures you, “you shouldn’t be afraid to cry in front of me”. Effused with warmth and empathy, she carries her message throughout the album with her heart-on-sleeve lyricism and makes you not only unafraid to be vulnerable, but also wanting to share your innermost feelings in the safe haven that she offers. ‘Hurt’ is the band-aid that begins the healing process, as she reassures you that whatever pain you are experiencing right now, it is temporary in nature and will not haunt you forever. Delving deeper into the underlying causes of such tensions, ‘Too Good’ explores the fantasies we build around people that we feel are out of our league, while a groovy syncopation layers on the effortless coolness of the track.
‘Hope’ does exactly what it says and blends a gentle encouragement with a tender understanding of your struggles as she coaxes, “we all have scars, I know it’s hard. You’re not alone”. The raw spilling of her thoughts in the spoken bridge offers a pathway for further connection as she breaks down her walls to allow us into her deepest emotions. The light vocals in ‘Caroline’ borders on the verge of desperation in its repeated assertion that “I swear to God, I tried”, acknowledging that sometimes, despite our best efforts, things just don’t quite work out the way we hope. But ‘Black Dog’ reminds you that even if the world seems to be a dark and forlorn place, Arlo will be by your side through the thick and thin with her dulcet voice and effervescent melodies. Her assurance is a breath of fresh air and her nuanced depiction of the more unseen impacts of mental health forms the basis of trust needed for honest conversations to take place.
Dappled with jazz influences and laid-back keys, ‘Portra 400’ is the blissful ending to a piece of work that takes you across the highs and lows of life and navigate through all that is thrown at you. Across ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’, Arlo maintains a mellifluous and seemingly tranquil sound that will lift you from all of life’s everyday strains yet her intricately-crafted words hint at an acknowledgement that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The introspection of the album hints at a musical maturity much beyond her years, and it is sure to be the antidote that we will reach for whenever life starts getting a bit haywire.
Words by Athena Kam