Arlo Parks has shared how her forthcoming new album ‘My Soft Machine’ takes inspiration from the heavy sound of bands like Fontaines D.C. and My Bloody Valentine.
READ MORE: Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Arlo Parks
Back in January, Parks shared news of her second album and unveiled its first single ‘Weightless’, followed up this month by ambient new track ‘Impurities’.
The singer-songwriter has described the forthcoming new record as a “deeply personal body of work” which highlights the artist’s experience of navigating life in her 20s.
Now the London artist has offered a sense of what to expect from the sound of her new album, sharing that it will be noisier than her gentle 2021 debut ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’.
Arlo Parks (CREDIT: Alexandra Waespi)
Speaking to BBC Radio 6 Music, Parks shared that it’s “always been the case” that she’s a fan of heavier genres, but said it’s “never really shown itself in my music”.
“One of my favourite bands is My Bloody Valentine, and I bring a few more of those moments into My Soft Machine,” she continued.
She praised the rock band for their “sense of absolute chaos, and you feel that your ears are falling off, but then there’s this real delicate quality to the lyrics”.
“They’re really sensual and vulnerable, but alongside this wall of sound,” she added.
The singer also shared that upcoming live shows will be “a lot more full-bodied”, with the aim of creating “a wall of sound, whereas maybe before there was more of that sense of minimalism”.
“I think I’m bringing a lot more energy, to be honest. I think there’s much less pensive moments. I think there’s more energy and grit to it,” she continued.
Parks performed with a full band to headline the closing night of the 6 Music Festival in Manchester on Sunday (March 26), where she was joined on stage by Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll to perform her 2019 single ‘Sophie’.
Parks said she was also a “massive fan” of Fontaines D.C., adding of Coll’s guest performance: “I wanted Tom to come and play drums on a song that I kind of adapted to have a bit more of a heavier feeling.”
https://twitter.com/bbc6music/status/1640054728422727683?s=46&t=I39FXC_3djy_bwC-EDjNgAParks also shared that the record was “far more collaborative, in a way”.She added: “I worked with a lot of players, I worked with a lot of people in different parts of the world, it felt like I was facing outwards a lot more, versus the first one that was more of an insular process.”
Romy of The xx also joined the singer last night to perform Parks’ 2020’s song ‘Black Dog’.
‘My Soft Machine’ will arrive on May 26 via Transgressive Records. Pre-order the album here.
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