ARLO PARKS' VULNERABLE ECSTASY

A soulful pop prodigy lets us into her world on her excellent second album

- MAURA JOHNSTON

On first LISTEN, the second album from London singer-songwriter Arlo Parks sounds like something to luxuriate in; Parks sings and lays down poetry over plush textures and simmering beats. But a closer listen reveals that these pillowy structures are, in fact, cushions against the blows of modern life - bulwarks that keep Parks' self, the "soft machine" referenced in the album title, moving without cutting herself off or suffering too much long-term damage.

Parks is a pop prodigy; she got noticed by a management company as a teen, and won the 2021 Mercury Prize with her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, which came out when she was months away from turning 21. That album's blend of bedroom-pop sensibilities and intricately detailed lyrics felt very in tune with the homespun vibes of the early pandemic, even as the experiences described by Parks' supple, soothing voice possessed a depth that indicated boundless curiosity.