Bobby Carter | November 1, 2023
Watching Arlo Parks read an excerpt from her newly published book of poetry, The Magic Border, during her performance, it felt like a full circle moment for her. Her origins as a musician began with poetry, but she also explained between songs that Tiny Desk concerts also planted seeds during her formative years as an artist. "This session is generally one of the reasons that I decided to make music and I grew up with this session, so it's really special to be here.." Three years ago, with just a guitar in tow, she recorded a Tiny Desk home concert. Two albums later, she's made it official behind the real Desk, this time with a full band to back her up.

Aside from "Eugene" from her Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize-winning debut album, the entire set is comprised of cuts from her sophomore album, My Soft Machine. The drum loops and breaks hit hard on My Soft Machine, but these stripped-down versions deviate just enough to allow her voice to sit at the forefront. Whether speaking or singing, the British singer-songwriter puts me at ease and eloquently articulates relatable emotions in ways a mere layman couldn't imagine. At 23 years old, her poetic, feelings-first approach to music continues to set her apart from so many others in her class and I'm excited to hear how this coming-of-age story continues to evolve.

SET LIST
"Blades"
"Eugene"
"Pegasus"
"Impurities"

MUSICIANS
Arlo Parks: lead vocals
James Fernandez: drums, music direction
Hannah Jacobs: keys, vocals
Sam Harding: bass, vocals
Dani Diodato: guitar, vocals
Matt Maijah: vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Production Assistant: Zayrha Rodriguez
Audio Assistant: Kwesi Lee
Photographer: Catie Dull
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Josh Rogosin, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #arloparks #tinydesk