The breakout star has crafted a quietly subversive pop record that, for all its deceptive softness, challenges old perceptions of sexuality and mental health.
As a debut, it is a sublime body of work from the kind of artist who is meticulous in all aspects of her craft.
It would be deceptively easy to say that in its calming, percussive bedroom pop, this album is using its overarching love or softness as an antidote to the harsh realities and sadness with which it grapples — but really, this album sets out less to negate or to fix something and more to acknowledge and illustrate the complexities of many things at once.
At once effortless and dripping with deluxe sonic nuances, the focal point of Collapsed In Sunbeams is the crème de la crème fragrance of Arlo Parks’ exquisite voice, embroidered with her elysian lyricism.
Parks's appeal comes from her storytelling. It captures the burdens of young adulthood through a melancholy lens unique to her generation, calling upon just about every sonic reference in the book.
The versatility of Collapsed In Sunbeams is beyond comendable. Parks seemingly effortless lyricism and laidback melodies make her songs cosy in winter, and chilled in summer - always to be uplifting and comforting.
Whilst Parks frequently invokes soulful legends and contemporaries with her sound, she is undoubtedly setting a path of her own with her incredible lyricism; a beautiful combination of performance, poetry, and emotion that stops you in your tracks.
The young artist has put together a stunning display of her talent for “making rainbows out of something painful.”
Her take on bedroom pop feels unusually distinctive in a genre that has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Moreover, her ability to communicate the raw hardships of life with universality, compassion, and hope is genuinely moving and makes her debut a testament to her artistry.
As a debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams has summed up what Arlo Parks is all about. There may be nothing special about the production but it's the poetry and dream like melody that shines through.
This is a remarkably mature debut album for a twenty-year-old, filled with poetic flourishes, luxurious soul-pop stylings and Parks’ velvety, characterful voice.
Even with its flaws Sunbeams establishes Arlo as an artist who finds middle ground between nonchalant cool and somber earnestness in a way few artists can manage.
Sunbeams is the hug from a friend, the cup of tea on a cold evening and the casual afternoon in the pub garden all in one.
Arlo Parks’ debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams is both a universal and self-specific sign of the times, sung with grace and vulnerability.
Parks successfully establishes a style that combines emotional directness with a rich sensory palate.
... its vivid subject matter dealing with depression, sexuality, prejudice and matters of the heart with an uplifting old-school feel complemented by celestial vocals.
The 20-year-old punctuates beautifully languid, trip-hoppy vignettes witha voice redolent of Martina Topley-Bird and a neat line in spoken-word poetic musings.
The London singer-songwriter’s warm, conversational and observant debut justifies the hype.
Reflective, intuitive and introspective, ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ is an immensely gripping debut.
She’s an easy star-next-door to root for, and on her debut record, she makes light work of demonstrating exactly why the nation has become so invested in her art.
Her sound is compelling enough that, even when her lyrics regress into platitudes, her music remains stirring and intense.
Collapsed in Sunbeams fulfils most of its undue expectations, a collection of gentle poetics and piercingly observant songwriting that revels in its intimacy.
Collapsed in Sunbeams showcases the obvious talent of Arlo Parks who writes subtle yet immediate and impactful neo-soul hits. Anyone listening to this LP will walk away with a series of singles to treasure.
Arlo Parks' Collapsed in Sunbeams is an emotionally wrenching journey through relationship drama set to low-key pop songs with hints of hip-hop and R&B scattered throughout.
If the musical qualities of Collapsed in Sunbeams suffer from a bit of sameyness by the end, the formula is a soothing, pleasant one with sentiment to spare and, as a debut, full of promise.
Getting lost in the world Parks takes us in is surely captivating and invites deep reflection. But once the moment has passed, you wonder if it carries any lasting impact.
Parks' wise words are indeed the album's saving grace. With her precocious writing capabilities, it's possible to envision the potential of someone who really could become the voice of this new generation.
It’s a confident, if perhaps musically safe, release that will help to cement her reputation for relatability.
It’s Parks’ poeticism that marks her out as someone special – and makes her meditations on Gen-Z adolescence worthy of your time.
The hotly tipped 20-year-old singer-songwriter debuts with a cool, confident record that occasionally blends into pleasant monotony.
Every time I listen to Collapsed in Sunbeams I’m warmed and engaged at the start but then focus drifts off. It becomes a background mood rather than a song cycle.
‘collapsed in sunbeams’ is an excellent record from arlo parks; a delightful achievement of collaboration and creation. there are beautiful moments of spoken word, explosive melodies, and depictions of parks’ inclusive lyrics.
Arlo gifts this work to the collective public. the project is a memorable success that will influence years and generations to come.
‘collapsed in sunbeams’ hardly feels like an album, it is more-so a collection of confrontational tunes; ... read more
One of the most beautiful things to experience with music is that realization that something you're listening to is going to be sticking with you for a long time. Maybe you land on an album that follows you for the next few days, having songs that you find yourself returning to on occasion. Other times its an album that you immediately recognize will undoubtedly be with you for the rest of the year and likely beyond. Collapsed In Sunbeams falls quickly into the category of a new long-term ... read more
Mood booster of an album.
Sometimes too much of a coffee jazz type beat but lyrics are amazing on basically every track.
Collapsed In Sunbeams is an easy to listen to and smooth with the transitions. Though, the tracks aren’t very memorable, the vocals are sweet. Best tracks are Too Good, Black Dog, and Eugene.
MERCURY PRIZE WINNERS DEEP DIVE (for @Legoshi): 2021
Here's another Mercury winner I'm just kind of ok on. Arlo has a pretty soothing voice, the hooks are pretty sticky and the retro aesthetic they went for on the instrumental side is pretty tasteful, but yeah this is just another case of me not really understanding the hype. It's good, just not really the sorta stuff I'm into. Please don't kill me
1 | Collapsed in Sunbeams 0:54 | 73 |
2 | Hurt 3:36 | 84 |
3 | Too Good 3:41 | 85 |
4 | Hope 4:30 | 83 |
5 | Caroline 3:36 | 87 |
6 | Black Dog 3:48 | 85 |
7 | Green Eyes 3:18 | 84 |
8 | Just Go 3:06 | 78 |
9 | For Violet 3:32 | 76 |
10 | Eugene 3:43 | 84 |
11 | Bluish 3:14 | 78 |
12 | Portra 400 2:56 | 79 |
#1 | / | KCRW |
#2 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
#2 | / | Dork |
#2 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
#3 | / | Clash |
#3 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#3 | / | MAGNET |
#3 | / | The Young Folks |
#4 | / | Gaffa (Sweden) |
#4 | / | PopMatters |