[tps_title] Arlo Parks, Collapsed in Sunbeams [/tps_title]

Arlo Parks’ infuses eclectic influences into her lyrics and music – from jazz to RnB, in the effortlessly cool and laid back Collapsed in Sunbeams that has been supported by the likes of Michelle Obama and Phoebe Bridgers. It’s a sharply observant debut couched in easily, grooving instrumentation, melodies that flow with ease – we can’t get enough.

Stand-out Track: Cola

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11. favourite crime

The fact that we put this last shows the quality of this record in its entirety, it’s an acoustic-tinged track, offering a more stripped back version looking back on the errors that they made in fighting for a relationship.

10. jealousy, jealousy

It’s easy to dismiss the hardships of the TikTok generation, but this track brings to life the hardships and difficulties in growing up as part of a generation where everything is broadcast everywhere. On ‘jealousy, jealousy,’ Rodrigo puts those feelings into words in an incredibly real way. ‘All I see are girls too good to be true.. I know their beauty’s not my lack / But it feels like that weight is on my back and I can’t let it go.’

9. hope ur ok

On ‘hope ur ok,’ Rodrigo taps into a more indie-edged sound that feels mature beyond her years.

8. 1 step forward, 3 steps back

Written with Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift – who has inspired Rodrigo’s songwriting – on this track she sings about the difficulty of moving on only to find herself back in the position she was before at every reminder of her ex.

7. happier

In the waltzing melodious track, ‘happier’, Rodrigo again outlines the real pain of heartbreak. ‘I hope you’re happy, but not like how you were with me.’ 

6. brutal

‘brutal’ is a pithily angry track – ‘All I do was try my best / This the kinda thanks I get?’ Rodrigo manages to concentrate all her emotion into a short and succinct track. 

5. deja vu

On ‘deja vu,’ Rodrigo mocks a lover in his lack of imagination, repeating the same story with every girl. ‘She thinks it’s special, but it’s all re-used / That was our place, I found it first / I made the jokes you tell to her / When she’s with you, do you get deja vu?’ The production is reminiscent of a musical box, before moving into a more electro-tinged vibe – it’s incredibly artfully done and again showcases Rodrigo as an artist capable of huge depth and range.

4. good 4 u

‘good 4 u’ offered a far more pop-punk sound to the Rodrigo sonic landscape. It’s a venomously angry track, where Rodrigo’s bitterness spits through the bars. It’s a mammoth track and more than any other shows the sonic and lyrical complexity of an artist who has emerged as one of the most exciting artists in recent years.

3. drivers license

The song that started it all, and it’s still just as majestic, months later as Rodrigo sings of living her life now without her love, where she is constantly reminded of their past hopes and dreams. She lays the full depths of her broken heart out in the open and it’s painfully emotional. ‘You said forever, now I drive alone past your street.’ 

2. enough for you

On ‘enough for you,’ Olivia Rodrigo showcases her emotional fragility and vulnerability, showing the way she bent herself out of shape in order to please an ex-lover, before he left. It’s relatable and stunningly real, ‘I’d say you broke my heart but you broke much more than that / Now I don’t want your sympathy, I just want myself back.’ 

1. traitor

On ‘Traitor,’ Rodrigo offers one of the best vocal performances on Sour – it’s an emotionally heavy and loaded track, enhanced by the fragility of Rodrigo’s vocal accompanied by swirling and soft production. On the track Rodrigo sings to an ex about him moving on with another girl while she is still trying to heal her broken heart. The raw emotion of the track comes through in Rodrigo’s vocal delivery and tender lyricism.

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