London newcomer Arlo Parks has only released a handful of songs in her short career thus far, but she’s already made waves in the music world.
The 20-year-old musician broke out with her debut single “Cola” back in 2018 and has since continued to pull in listeners with her rich songwriting and complex take on pop, which melds soul, folk, and indie rock. Last year, she was selected as a breakout artist by the BBC for their Sound of 2020 shortlist. And earlier this year, NME deemed her “creator of the year’s most devastating song” after releasing “Black Dog,” a moving track about helping someone else fight depression.
Today, Parks announces her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, which is out January 29, 2021. She has also released a new song, “Green Eyes,” featuring backing vocals and guitar from Clairo. It arrives alongside a Louis Bhose-directed video. Check it out below.
In a statement, Parks tells them. that she wrote the track back in January, alongside frequent collaborator Gianluca Buccellati, a Los Angeles-based producer. “We were really inspired by In Rainbows [by Radiohead] and Blonde by Frank Ocean,” Parks tells them. “It was very much an emotional outpouring and the sensory, honest nature of the words came from Pat Parker’s poem ‘My Lover is a Woman,’” she adds, referring to the work of the Black lesbian poet and activist.
On the track, she expresses well wishes toward a female ex-lover, who was uncomfortable with showing PDA in a queer relationship. “Couldn’t hold my hand in public/Felt their eyes judging our love,” she sings in the chorus. Parks says that particular feeling of embarrassment is “something that I’ve seen in myself and also something I’ve seen in others.”
“This song is supposed to be a call for self-acceptance and a celebration of love — everyone should be able to show affection without fear,” she adds.
She also addressed Clairo’s involvement in the song, saying that she’s “been a big fan of Clairo for a while now” and that artist’s voice “is like honey.” It’s not the first time that Parks has collaborated with a sapphic icon; earlier this year, she teamed up with Phoebe Bridgers for a live cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.”
“Green Eyes” is a beautiful addition to her upcoming record, which also includes the previously released singles “Black Dog,” “Hurt,” and “Eugene.” In a press statement, she describes her new album as a “series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding [her] adolescence and the people that shaped it.” See the full tracklist and cover art below.
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