In a recent feature for The Guardian, Arlo Parks shared the foundational tracks, formative memories, and personal touchstones that shaped her musical identity ahead of her UK and Ireland tour starting October 17 in Dublin.
The Bottom Line
- Arlo Parks mapped out her personal musical history in a candid Guardian feature timed to her upcoming tour supporting her latest release, Ambiguous Desire.
- Her early influences range from Eurythmics and Arctic Monkeys to classic jazz and R&B icons passed down by her family.
- The singer-songwriter hits the road across the UK and Ireland from October 17 through October 26.
From iPod Nano Discoveries to Uncle’s Record Box
Reflecting on her early musical milestones, Parks recalled listening to Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” as a very young child, noting she was completely intoxicated by the opening line. Years later, at age 10 or 11, she bought her first digital download on an iPod Nano: Arctic Monkeys’ “Fake Tales of San Francisco.” She told The Guardian that she wandered through the park feeling angsty while listening to the gritty storytelling and characters that felt entirely real to her, despite being far removed from her own upbringing.
Her home environment was similarly eclectic. Parks inherited a stack of records from her uncle when she was 12 or 13, randomly selecting vinyl by Sade, LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, D’Angelo, and Prince. While she admitted she does not actually do karaoke, she named Prince’s “When Doves Cry” as her hypothetical choice, praising the unattainable quality of his vocal delivery. Her parental household also served as a vast sonic library, spanning her father’s jazz collection of Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Duke Ellington, alongside her mother’s penchant for French music, Whitney, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, and Janet Jackson.
Shaping the Minimalist Sound of Collapsed in Sunbeams
Musical minimalism played a pivotal role in the development of Parks’ own songwriting style. She pointed to Radiohead’s “House of Cards” as a life-changing track, highlighting the spatial quality of the instrumentation and Thom Yorke’s ethereal vocals. Discovering the song a few years before writing her album Collapsed in Sunbeams, she noted a direct line between its sparse production aesthetic and her own work.
Other emotional anchors in her listening habits include Portishead’s live rendition of “Glory Box” from the Roseland theatre, which she described as bringing tears to her eyes due to the raw vulnerability in Beth Gibbons’ voice. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, she embraces pop hits like Lady Gaga’s “Starstruck,” which she admitted to blasting shamelessly in her car, and Jamelia’s “Superstar” as a bubblegum pop song she knows completely by heart.
Touring Schedule and Upcoming Performances
| Event / Release | Details |
|---|---|
| Latest Project | Ambiguous Desire (Out now) |
| Tour Dates | October 17 to October 26 |
| Tour Launch | Dublin |
Balancing melancholy with morning routines, Parks turns to Turnstile’s “I Care” to kick-start her day with driving drumbeats, while holding Sufjan Stevens’ heartbreaking “Fourth of July” close for moments reflecting on grief. For her ultimate send-off, she selected the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” as the song she wants played at her funeral, appreciating its soothing blend of melancholy and hopeful warmth. Following the release of her latest project, Ambiguous Desire, Parks will embark on her upcoming concert run, kicking off in Dublin and hitting venues across the UK and Ireland from October 17 to October 26.
