Arlo Parks - 'Weightless'
Arlo Parks offers a tantalising taste of her forthcoming album ‘My Soft Machine’ in new single ‘Weightless’.
The Transgressive Records signee needs little introduction, with poetic lyricism and ethereal vocals which have gained her two Grammy nominations and fans in the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Michelle Obama, Angel Olsen and more. Debut album ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ was widely named as one of the best albums of 2021, with critical appraise from The Guardian, NME, and Rolling Stone. Following a busy year opening for some of the industry’s biggest names on tour, including Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, the 22-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.
Weightless is the first single from the just-announced album ‘My Soft Machine’, due out May 26th and described as a deeply personal record detailing Parks’ experience navigating life in her 20s. Premiered as Clara Amfo’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, the introspective new single describes the mental turmoil surrounding feeling lost and undervalued in a relationship, but simultaneously unable to leave. The pervading sense of hopelessness is epitomised in the bridge, where the London-based singer-songwriter states ‘And I usually know my strength / But here I am at ninety degrees bent’. In her own words, Parks describes the meaning behind the track:
“Weightless surrounds the painful experience of caring deeply about someone who only gives you tiny breadcrumbs of affection. It’s about suddenly realising that a person has dulled your edges and embarking on the slow journey back to being a brighter version of yourself.”
The Marc Oller-directed video cinematically depicts a black horse galloping down urban streets after freeing itself from physical constraint, acting as a powerful metaphor for the process of self-growth described within the track.
Alongside the record, Arlo Parks has recently announced her UK and European tour. Dates are listed as follows:
Sept 5 - Dublin, Ireland @ 3Olympia Theatre
Sept 14 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
Sept 15 - Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
Sept 17 - Berlin, Germany @ Huxley’s Neue Welt
Sept 19 - Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
Sept 21 - Paris, France @ L'Olympia
Sept 28 - London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Words by Emily Savage
