Feature
Feature
The Video Diaries: Arlo Parks
Key moments in the career of the London singer-songwriter, caught on camera
After busying herself in her early 20s with being the music industry’s latest proclaimed indie messiah, Arlo Parks has spent some much-needed time in the club. Her third album, Ambiguous Desire, grabs from the introspective chats you have with strangers in the smoking area, the techno and dance influences of nighttime adventures in the city, and the well-honed indie guitar roots that seduced critics and the public in the first place.
With a UK tour on the way in October and a new era under her belt, we’ve been reflecting on Arlo’s come-up and the moments along the way that defined her. From capturing a pandemic mood to star collaborations, we’ve put together the key moments that paved the way for the London singer-songwriter, caught on camera.
2018 – ‘Cola’
Arlo was still only 18 when she arrived on the scene as a self-proclaimed “black kid who can’t dance for shit, listens to emo music and currently has a crush on some girl in my Spanish class.” Her first track ‘Cola’ gently demanded attention with its references to My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, an unusually melodic way of working through romantic jealousy, and a movingly delicate riff.
2019 – ‘Super Sad Generation‘
Helping her to gain (and subsequently reject) the title of The Voice Of Gen Z, in 2019 Arlo released ‘Super Sad Generation’. It was an affirmation of the ferocity of being young, anxious and experimenting with your identity and drugs in equal measure, all the while balancing the hope and expectation of having your life stretched out before you. If ‘Cola’ got critics excited, ‘Super Sad Generation’ confirmed that it wasn’t a fluke and that Arlo was onto something with her next gen emo.
2020 – ‘Black Dog’
In 2020 Arlo continued to unpick themes of mental health with ‘Black Dog’. A quick look at the confessional top comments on the YouTube video will tell you everything you need to know about how the song, which expertly evokes how it feels to both live with depression and love someone who is experiencing it, touched a mass of people. Released during the first Covid lockdown, ‘Black Dog’ was A-listed by Radio 1 and captured the mood of the time, with its simple instrumental and sharply astute lyrics.
2020 – ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ with Phoebe Bridgers
We have to stay in the cursed year of 2020 for one more video, because in September Arlo collaborated with US indie darling Phoebe Bridgers. Phoebe reached out to Arlo after being sent her music and confessing she listened to it for two weeks straight, and the pair ended up covering Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ for Radio 1. It was the start of a string of collaborations for Arlo and Phoebe, with Coachella and Glastonbury guest appearances to follow, as well as a feature from Phoebe on Arlo’s (at this point still embryonic) second album.
2021 – Breakthrough Artist at the Brit Awards
In January 2021 Arlo released her first album Collapsed In Sunbeams and blew up in a commercial way, reaching No.3 in the UK charts, as well as keeping the critics on side with a spate of glowing reviews for her “near-perfect debut”. That dual effect was reflected in Arlo picking up the Brit Award for Breakthrough Artist as well as going toe-to-toe with well-established singers like Dua Lipa and Jessie Ware in the British Album of the Year and British Female Solo Artist categories.
2021 – Mercury Prize win
Continuing her run of awards season luck, in September Arlo joined an elite club of artists, including Arctic Monkeys and Dave, to win the Mercury Prize in their early 20s. The then 21-year-old was lauded by judges for her “lyrics of remarkable beauty to confront complex themes of mental health and sexuality” in her debut album. As well as £25,000 quid for her pocket, one of the most prestigious awards in the biz was further recognition that Arlo was an important new voice in British music.
2022 – Glastonbury
After a couple of cancelled festivals thanks to the pandemic years, Glastonbury made a loud return in 2022 with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney in the headline slots. It was also a big year for Arlo, who appeared on the Park Stage in a Radiohead tee (as previously established, she’s a fan), surrounded by sunflowers and bolstered by a brass section to bring what was previously bedroom pop to the big stage. It was an important moment for the singer and her evolution into a performer as well as a musician.
2023 – ‘Weightless‘
After her rapid ascent to success during an objectively strange few years to be a human anyway, towards the end of 2022 Arlo took a break from performing in the US to fly home and look after her mental health, sharing that she felt “broken”. In 2023, fans were thrilled to have her back when she returned with her second album ‘My Soft Machine’. Performing lead single ‘Weightless’ on Jools Holland with her signature red buzz cut and unique, feathery voice, Arlo proved she still had the magic that made people fall in love with her the first time round.
2023 – Tiny Desk Concert
Performing a Tiny Desk Concert is a rite of passage for any self-respecting artist. The now-iconic set-up of a live band and a bunch of performers in amongst said tiny desk in US radio station NPR’s office has become a beloved fixture for music fans and artists alike. In 2023 it was Arlo’s turn, and admitting Tiny Desk was part of what inspired her to make music, she read from her poetry collection and performed fan favourites like ‘Eugene’ as well as a selection of ‘My Soft Machine’ tracks.
2026 – 2sided
After becoming a Brit Award, Mercury Prize-winning famous musician gobbled up a good portion of her 20s, Arlo rightly felt the need to live a little. In 2026 she returned again having spent some time in New York nightclubs, absorbing the kind of musical and human influences that everyone ought to have (aka chatting shit with strangers and having a dancefloor era). The first single from her third album – Ambiguous Desire – was a demonstration that Arlo’s soft emo and synths are a pretty damn good marriage as it goes. Performing the song on Jimmy Kimmel, Arlo hinted at a new era.
