Arlo Parks, Weightless | Track Review 🎵

Grammy-nominated British singer/songwriter Arlo Parks makes a stellar return with “Weightless,” the promo single from her sophomore LP, My Soft Machine.

“Cardamom and jade as your eyes streamed / On the night you showed your volcanic side.” What poetry! If you are unfamiliar with what 🎙 Arlo Parks (Anaïs Marinho) is singing about in the excerpt from the first verse of 🎵 “Weightless”, let me break it down for you.  Cardamom is a spice, while jade is a gemstone.  So, there is spice, a gemstone, crying, and an eruption, apparently! All of that occurring early on in this promo single from Parks’ sophomore album, 💿 My Soft Machine (May 26, 2023).  Parks asserts via NME:

‘Weightless’ surrounds the painful experience of caring deeply about someone who only gives you tiny breadcrumbs of affection. It’s about suddenly realising that a person has dulled your edges and embarking on the slow journey back to being a brighter version of yourself.

The tone of “Weightless” is set by bright production work anchored by an electrifying groove before Parks sings one note.  Her vocal tone is lovely, with a charming British accent.

The songwriting continues to impress on the pre-chorus, which is varied after the first and second verses, keeping things fresh.  Also, the production gets contrast as well, stimulating the listeners ears.  Those punchy synths are stellar during the pre-chorus, coupled with that mainstay groove.  Furthermore, more picturesque keyboard work joins the mix during the tuneful, repetitive chorus, where Parks sings, “I don’t wanna wait for you / But I need you, so I won’t go.” With fine writing and production on the verses, pre-chorus, and chorus sections, the bridge cannot be neglected! Here, we get a total harmonic contrast.  Furthermore, there is a timbral change, with its glorious, detuned elements, sigh.  Also, during the bridge, Parks delivers un-pitched vocals (pseudo rap you might say).  All things come together to make “Weightless,” where the titular lyric is never uttered. 

Final Thoughts 💭

Arlo Parks makes an instant splash with 🎵 “Weightless”. What a way to unveil her sophomore album! The single is well written, superbly produced (🎛 Paul Epworth), and marvelously performed.  Given the background on the single – those ‘matters of the heart’ and becoming an even better version of yourself – this single is should easily connect with audiences worldwide.  “Weightless,” hence, is a winner.

🎙 Arlo Parks • 💿 My Soft Machine • 🏷 Arlo Parks / Transgressive • 🗓 5.26.23

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Arlo Parks / Transgressive; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]