ARLO PARKS "Right now the world is so wonky"

She's just released another raw groove, but the 20-year-old insists she isn't afraid of getting 'Hurt'...

By: Jonathan Rose 🌹

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BLACK DOG [black dog] n.

a way of referring to feelings of depression (great sadness and lack of energy)

Cambridge English Dictionary

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the most popular baby names for boys and girls in 2019 were yet again Oliver and Olivia. Step aside Jacob Rees-Mogg, Victorian names are back in fashion.

But naming a child is no walk in the park for new parents. It takes some serious thought. Charlie, Eugene, Sophie, George...the options are never-ending.

Born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, Arlo Parks is all too familiar with the difficulties of choosing a name, her own appellation inspired by those of King Krule and Frank Ocean.

Yet, softly humming her new baby 'Hurt' into the world last month, Arlo Parks delivered a feeling all new parents can relate to - hope.

Her uplifting groove tells a story of the temporary nature of suffering, a message we need in light of you know what.

Better days are coming. But for now, sit back and listen in sheer awe as Arlo Parks' raw talent for songwriting reassures us "it won't hurt so much forever".

Premiering on BBC Radio 1 (18 August) as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World, the soulful track follows on from Arlo Parks' hugely successful 2020 singles 'Black Dog' and 'Eugene'.

At the time of writing this, 'Black Dog' has over six million streams on Spotify, 'Eugene' almost ten million, and her breakout single 'Cola' recently featured in the new HBO/BBC series I May Destroy You, starring Michaela Coel.

Since signing to Transgressive Records (Foals and Two Door Cinema Club), the meteoric rise of Arlo Parks has not been a fluke - she picked up the AIM Independent Music Award for One to Watch in August.

There is no stopping the gal from south west London and the imminent release of her debut album is set to take her career to the next level.

For the time being, another name transcends us into the phenomenal mind of Arlo Parks, indeed the ninth most popular boys name according to ONS. So who is Charlie?

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I love the inclusion of names in my songs. I think it makes them feel a little bit more personal.

Parks' newest bop 'Hurt' explores the inner-workings of a young man's mind with smooth lyrics and a delicious drum beat. Arlo's soft vocals, delivered with delicate precision, continue to show why she is such a promising talent.

The optimistic hook moves away from her previous quarantine releases and offers a perfect vibe for the easing of lockdown.

"I wanted to explore the possibility for joy and healing. In those low moments, you may think you will feel that way forever, but those low moments are never a permanent state as it were.

"Sonically, I was listening to a lot of DJ Shadow and M.F.D. 'Music For The Death'. I wanted a drum pattern that had a rhythm and energy to it, whilst staying in line with the more vibey, organic sounds I had put out before."

An Audre Lorde (the self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,") quote - 'pain will either change or end' - from her short paper The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action, originally inspired Arlo Parks to write the song.

And we need to talk about Charlie...

"It is a real person, but his name isn't Charlie! I really liked the name and it reminded me of when I was younger.

"I was thinking about when I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I remember being fascinated by the main character who is called Charlie.

"I love the inclusion of names in my songs. I think it makes them feel a little bit more personal."

The release of 'Hurt' was accompanied by a mesmerising music video directed by Molly Burdett.

The creative duo had recently worked together on the music video for 'Black Dog' and were first united for 'Super Sad Generation'.

"There was this weird sense of telepathy where she just knew what I wanted and knew how to translate the sentiments behind my songs visually."

Featuring dancer Saidu, the video was shot in an old, Jewish boarding school in Oxford with stunning architecture.

"I like the starkness of the cement in the main room and those lovely stained glass windows.

"I wanted it to be quite surreal. Because it is such a rhythmic song, I enjoyed the idea of having some kind of dance or movement incorporated into the video.

"My own interpretation of it is I am almost an embodiment of the feeling of grief. You think it can control you, but then the dancer is breaking free from that. Finding a sense of joy in overcoming those feelings is the crux of it in my eyes."

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Alexandra Waespi 📸

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For me, music has always been a way of processing my emotions.

And 'Hurt' isn't the only banger Arlo Parks has released during the coronavirus pandemic. The powerful track 'Black Dog' was shared by Parks at the start of May and it could not be more relevant for people struggling with quarantine.

"It's a song about mental health and watching somebody you love in a state of pain or hopelessness."

Parks, with a maturity beyond her years, isn't afraid to get hurt and reveal her emotions to an audience.

"A lot of the music I enjoy is intensely personal. I am of the mindset vulnerable music really does help people and that desire overcomes the fear of exposing myself. For me, music has always been a way of processing my emotions."

The accompanying music video for 'Black Dog' was again shot by Molly Burdett on film in the countryside.

"I wanted it to be very human and intimate and maybe explore relationships that weren't seen as much in music videos. The idea of a single father or the relationship between two sisters I thought was really powerful.

"I remember when I watched the first edit, I actually cried because I felt it complimented the song so perfectly."

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Charlie Cummings & Lynn Nwosu :📸

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I was back in the bedroom where it all started.

It has become customary these days to talk about the big C. Arlo spent her long, lockdown days at home with her family in south west London, reading, writing, looking through old journals, listening to records and working on her debut album.

"I was back in the bedroom where it all started."

"I found myself listening to old, familiar albums like In Rainbows by Radiohead, Teen Dream by Beach House and a lot of Elliott Smith. I also discovered some new artists such as Archive and Little Dragon. It kind of just went everywhere!"

She also describes her love of poetry, a passion integral to her own songwriting.

"For me personally, the lines between poetry and music are very blurred. All of my lyrics start from poetry and I don't see them as separate at all."

And how does Parks think the government has handled the pandemic?

"Oh God! I feel like it has been a series of mixed messages, but I haven't been paying attention to the news enough to be able to comment in a way that is satisfactory."

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I would love to work with Easy Life again, but right now the world is so wonky.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Parks also recorded a lockdown version of 'Sangria' with Easy Life, who released a two-track single called 'who gives a f**k?' in July.

"There was lots of technology involved that I didn't really understand. I just recorded my version on my little phone.

"It's crazy how people have managed to be so inventive about still performing during this time.

"It was cute to deal with the single together even though we were in different parts of the country."

But how did Murray Matravers, the frontman of Easy Life who recently expressed a desire to head the government of the United Kingdom, come to collaborate with Arlo on such a chilled beverage?

There are two sides to every story...

Arlo Parks: "We were both fans of each other and we kept just missing one another on festival circuits and stuff.

"Murray reached out to me on Instagram and told me that he had this demo he thought I would sound good on. I wrote my verse in my bedroom and recorded it there.

"We became really good mates. They are such a talented and lovely bunch."

Murray Matravers: "I’m a massive Arlo fan and have been for years now.

"I was lucky enough to bump into her last summer in a smoking area of a studio and we got talking.

"Then literally the next day I sent her over Sangria which we had lying about but just didn’t feel right and then she sang her bits and it just sounded perfect. The next week we got in the studio and I recorded her singing and bam, done.

"Honestly, she is the most chill person ever to work with, was a massive honour, love her to bits."

And would Parks be up for working with the boys again?

"We work really well together and understand and respect each other as both friends and artists. It's always easy and natural to write together.

"I would love to work with Easy Life again, but right now the world is so wonky."

Arlo Parks' 'Hurt' is out now.

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Other images courtesy of Molly Burdett, BEATNIK, Easy Life and the one and only...Arlo Parks 📸

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