Why You Should Be Listening to Arlo Parks
431 Morris Avenue
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The New York Times was so impressed with last week’s post on Blondshell, they had to do a feature on her. Read here
I’ve always found the idea of putting music into neatly labeled boxes—genres—deeply problematic. Sure, it helps with organizing playlists and record store shelves, but the truth is, music isn’t meant to be confined. There are no rules, no rigid boundaries. And honestly, thank goodness for that.
Take Arlo Parks, for example—a 25-year-old English singer-songwriter who completely defies categorization. Is she Neo-soul? Indie pop? Bedroom R&B? Spoken-word-inflected dreamwave? The answer is: yes. And also, not quite. She exists in that rare, genre-fluid space where great music lives—crafted from vulnerability, poetry, and a soul-stirring sense of self.
Every time one of her songs slips into my playlist, I take notice. Whatever I’m doing fades into the background. A smile creeps in. Not out of habit, but because her music feels that good, like a late-night conversation with someone who just gets it.
Parks’ breakout moment came with her 2021 Brit Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, but it’s the quiet power of her songs that really cements her brilliance. She doesn’t just write lyrics; she paints moods, sketches relationships, and captures fleeting moments like Polaroids pressed between the pages of a diary.
Trying to pin her down with a single label misses the point. Arlo Parks is doing what all truly great artists do: making genre irrelevant. And in a world obsessed with labels, that’s exactly what makes her music so essential.
Where to Begin
Caroline
Weightless
Green Eyes
Totally Random Awesome Song of the Week
Hammer by Hana Vu
But wait, there’s more…
We recently finished watching The Agency on Showtime/Paramount+. This is a top-notch spy drama starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, and Richard Gere. Exceptionally well done, very suspenseful, I highly recommend checking it out.
Music Quote of the Week
"Without music, life would be a blank to me." — Jane Austen, Emma
Stay tuned for more music recs. Hope you find something you love.
Dave
For Paul and Jimmy
I appreciate your thinking on this. For me, at the end of the day, it is all about the songs and how they make me feel. I don't care if it was done on a computer. And any connection to Eno is a positive. Thanks for the feedback!
I had a mixed reaction. Her moving, poetic music got my attention and gave me a nice groove for an hour or so of bike riding. I’ve been having this thought lately about artists that essentially produce music from software in their bedrooms. The band and “real” instruments lacking, the music itself sometimes seems repetitive and superficial. But her voice and especially her poetic lyrics seal the deal. I don’t know if this is good or bad, just the observation of an older music listener. Sometimes it feels like the trend is towards AI generated music. As opposed to four blokes on a stage jamming away at their physical instruments. Then again, I am a lifelong Brian Eno fan, so I contradict myself. AI could definitely extrapolate from Eno and keep it going forever.