Collapsed in Sunbeams [With Hand Autographed Lithograph] [B&N Exclusive]

by Arlo Parks

Overview

On the heels of the viral success of a handful of early songs, London singer/songwriter and poet Arlo Parks makes her full-length debut with Collapsed in Sunbeams, a set that draws on episodes from adolescence. Sharing an empathic, personal approach that doesn't shy away from matters of heart or mental health issues, some of those songs -- "Eugene," "Caroline," and "Black Dog," for instance -- are included on the 12-track album. Another characteristic that Parks' works have in common is an appealing blend of adult-alternative R&B, bedroom pop, and a borderline sophisti-pop that lands her sound in the general vicinity of, say, Sade or Jamila Woods without infringing on their space. Setting her material apart further still are her poetic leanings, and she opens Collapsed in Sunbeams with a nearly minute-long reading of the same name set to arpeggiated acoustic guitar and spacy keyboard tones. The poem's final line, "You shouldn't be afraid to cry in front of me," sets the stage for the openhearted songs to follow, among them "Too Good." That tune's jazzy, syncopated guitar and staccato bass groove uplift regrets like "Why'd we make the simplest things so hard?" Later, the optimistic "Hope" rides skittering drums and lite, improvisational piano chords alongside reassurances like "You're not alone/Why you think you are?/We all have scars/I know it's hard." The jealous "Eugene" is a duskier entry with a similarly elegant groove that scores Parks trying to comfort a friend after a breakup ("You know I like you like that"). Her more poetic tendencies reveal themselves on tracks like the sultry "Green Eyes," which offers "Dragonfruit and peaches in the wine/Kissin' circles underneath your eyes" amongst lyrics about a forbidden young love, and "Portra 400," a song named for a line of Kodak film that includes the phrase "Making rainbows out of something painful." The album's formula is a soothing, pleasant one with sentiment to spare and, as a debut, full of promise. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/19/2021
Label:	Transgressive
UPC:	5400863058647

Tracks

1. Collapsed in Sunbeams
2. Hurt
3. Too Good
4. Hope
5. Caroline
6. Black Dog
7. Green Eyes
8. Just Go
9. For Violet
10. Eugene
11. Bluish
12. Portra 400

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Arlo Parks   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Paul Epworth   Guitar,Synthesizer
Pete Miller   Piano
Nikolaj Torplarsen   Keyboards
Gianluca Buccellati   Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Synthesizer
Bad Sounds   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Claire Cottrill   Guitar,Vocals
Alessandro Buccellati   Strings
Malik Venna   Saxophone
James Fernandez   Drums

Technical Credits

David Wrench   Mixing
Paul Epworth   Composer,Producer,Programming
Matt Colton   Mastering
Matt de Jong   Design,Creative Director
Sam Petts-Davies   Engineer
Callum Merrett   Composer
Gianluca Buccellati   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Riley Maclntyre   Engineer
Jack Nichols-Marcy   Engineer
Bad Sounds   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Claire Cottrill   Composer
Alessandro Buccellati   Additional Production
Arlo Parks   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Programming
Ewan Merrett   Composer
Ali Raymond   A&R,Management
Mike Harounoff   A&R
Chiara Ferracuti   Assistant