Published for Tempus Magazine, Issue 2.
When the clock struck 00:00 on January 1st, 2021, I think a lot of us expected the world to phenomenally transform and turn a bit more fruitful at the least. It’s by no surprise to anyone that the glass half full approach didn’t exactly go as planned. However, in times of desperation there’s always something reassuring waiting around the corner, in January’s case, this happened to be Arlo Parks’ debut Collapsed In Sunbeams.
At just twenty-years-old, Parks’ has already been smothered with the Voice of a Generation label, a daunting tag to live up to for sure, despite this, there is no one more deserving of such an acclaim this year. Referring to herself as an empath, the poet finds ease and inspiration through channelling the raw feelings and emotions of others into her lyrics. She has been continually praised for the challenging and controversial episodes she writes about: mental health, body image and sexual identity/expression, a comfort for so many in today’s society.
It’s widely recognised that more than a handful of musicians have begun their career establishing their musical sound, then gone onto work on their vocals to become a ‘one-man-band’. On the flip side, Arlo Parks isn’t your Celine Dion or Aretha Franklin but still furnishes the elements which allow her voice to effortlessly take centre stage. For an album which is so culturally important, the delicate subjects are illuminated with warmth and delicacy through Parks’, gentle vocals, melodic guitar hums and soulful basslines. It’s the equivalent to the hug you desperately mourn for when you have those down days. Arlo Parks’ offers solace in ‘Hope’ “you’re not alone like you think you are” and positive affirmations in ‘Portra 400’ “making rainbows out of something painful”, just the kind of compassionate sentiments we all need to hear a lot more of.
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