The 20-year-old Arlo Parks was on the BBC's prestigious watchlist early last year. Since then she released no less than six great singles, all of which return on Collapsed In Sunbeams. It made this album not only halfway successful beforehand, but also perhaps the most promising debut of this year. And the singer, born as Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, fully lives up to those expectations. She
… sings with a pleasant London accent that reminds of Lily Allen. But then neater. The same goes for the music, which doesn't really rub off on anyone. The eleven pure pop songs (and one poem) are so enjoyable to listen to that they are over before you know it. Which is a shame, because Parks' lyrics are actually about something. Take For Violet, for instance, about parents who refuse to accept their child's gender choice. So let's listen to it again. (RME)more
