Capping off the monumental success of debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’, Arlo Parks has written upbeat sounding standalone new track ‘Softly’. Backed with blissed out, quick-paced piano and drum loop, Arlo’s spoken word poetry analyses the minutiae of a scene. We’re in Berlin and her partner, or the partner of this character, is breaking up with her.
Parks notes the small details of the moment against the full yearning reality: “Lemon and ginger beer, soap suds on navels/ If I upset you, could you maybe just say so?”, “You look at me as if it’s my fault that we’re stood here/ The cobalt of your scarf has pulled clear” and pleads “when you leave, just break it to me softly”. Such is the relatable humanity in Arlo’s writing, if you weren’t too busy swaying your shoulders to the catchy rhythm you’d be choking back a lump in your throat.
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Watch the single for ‘Softly’ below, as it explores the theme of the crumbling reality that comes with the end of a relationship: