‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ - Arlo Parks
Arlo Parks’ long awaited debut record, Collapsed In Sunbeams, is finally here.
Collapsed in Sunbeams opens with a poem (with the same name), enveloping our ears and bodies with the warmth of a stray ray of sunshine, and setting the tone for a feel good album.
Arlo Parks has been popping up everywhere on the alternative/bedroom pop scene since her 2018 debut single “Cola,” back then she was just an 18 year old poet from London trying to finish school. Today, she’s planning her European headlining tour and has collaborated with super stars of her genre like Glass Animals and Phoebe Bridges.
In her auto-biographical blurb on Spotify, Parks claimed that she spent most of high school "feeling like that black kid who couldn't dance for shit, listening to too much emo music and crushing on some girl in her Spanish class." Now, the Obama’s feature her on their iconic playlists.
Beneath the confident sweetness of Parks’ vocals, lie a combination of downtempo grooves, and a simple sun-shiney bassline; a style she has perfected and displays throughout her first full length album.
I love how some songs on the album are more rhythmic and jazzy, like “Green Eyes”; while others like “Hurt” sound like a summer bedroom pop theme song. (These are also two of the best tracks of the project.) Parks keeps her stream of consciousness between song and spoken word fluid, highlighting her first passion; poetry.
“Just Go,” is a simplistic tune with silly lyrics, but that’s the beauty in it. If a song could feel like hiding a hickey with a concealer stick, it would be this. Parks has the ability through anecdotes, proper nouns, and cultural references to build “a complete world that people can immerse themselves in.” Tracks like “Eugene” (another personal favorite) bring me back to girlish crushes and explore universal bad traits like jealousy.
“Porta 400” is the last and one of the more interesting tracks from Arlo Park’s project. While most of the songs blend into the same coffee-shop feel good ambiance, “Porta 400” breaks into a rap-like bridge. Making it one of the few songs, I argue, that are uniquely memorable from the album.
Collapsed In Sunbeams reflects a hopeful start to 2021 and compliments any good vibes playlist you’re curating for this loving February.
