#29 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Arlo Parks
My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks
Breaking away from the parade of old white dudes we saw at #30 and #31, here comes Arlo Parks with her sophomore record, My Soft Machine. “Soft” is the optimum word here – there’s no denying Parks’ songwriting prowess, but the end result often paints a rose-tinted, soft-focused soundscape of pop.
Parks (whose real name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) saw her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, land at #14 two years ago. Machine picks up where that stellar, Mercury-prize winning album left off, and Parks shows that she’s grown in the interim. A little more edge, a little more bite, and even closer to what I’ve liked from similar artists, like Japanese Breakfast.
If you liked Arlo Parks’ previous album, you’ll like this one, too. You can check it out on the playlists below.
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