Words By: Jason Russo

Arlo Parks has released a gorgeously intimate music video for her latest single “Caroline,” taken off of her upcoming debut album Collapsed Into Sunbeams. The video is a lush and cinematic journey that places the viewer right in the middle of an emotional love story still unfolding. Directed by Brock Neal-Roberts — it becomes the perfect pairing to the track’s ethereal and light-footed sound.

“Caroline” begins with Arlo Parks in an empty field on a brisk morning, calmly yet emotively singing the track’s chorus a cappella. As the camera pans away following a brief silence from the singer, we see a single tear slip down her cheek before the track suddenly begins and we are submerged in a swimming pool. Floating fabric from a button-up shirt and a blouse undulate and glisten along to the guitar and drum beats in the background that are representative of the two lovers we later meet. It’s an uncommon beginning for a music video, but it immediately catches the viewer’s eye and displays Parks’ impressive vocal delivery as well as her sensitive and expressive style.

“Shards of glass live in this feeling,” Parks sings as the viewer watches an emotionally subtle yet intense journey of two lovers unfold before them. Entwined or opposed, relaxed or exaggerated, their bodies mirror each other’s movements: stretching back on chairs to reveal the curvature of an Adam’s apple or a jawline, knuckles clenching, or ultimately baring their skin and embracing. Their longing is reinforced by the themes of water and wind which create visual tension through shots of strong gusts of wind ruffling their shirts, hair, and features and almost threatening to overwhelm them. Through water, we see glimpses that something is wrong as a bath overflows, a glass of water spills and shatters, and they collapse fully clothed into a pool. We only see a few sparse moments of intimacy between the pair, but the details of their troubles is filled in by Parks’ singing and presence. She never looks at the camera, yet her voice poetically shapes the visuals to the story of a disintegrating relationship.

Of the video, Parks commented, “Making this video with Brock was such an organic and emotional process. We wanted to make something distinctly human and tender, I’m so proud of this piece and the way it reflects the story behind ‘Caroline.'” The humanity and tenderness certainly shine through as does Parks’ incredible sound and heart-wrenching poetry. She writes with such a descriptively lyrical and detailed style that perfectly pairs with her coolly unique voice and production. “Caroline” is surely one of the strongest examples of indie pop music released this past year.

Arlo Parks is first and foremost a poet. She began writing music and making beats in order to help rhyme her poetry, and this process flourished into the incredibly luscious, indie-pop sound she has curated today.  Parks is a skilled storyteller whose songs function like vignettes, and her use of music videos to illustrate these stories is powerful and engaging. She has garnered a massive fanbase including celebrities like Michelle Obama, Billie Eilish, Florence Welch, and Phoebe Bridgers to name a few.  Her impressive songwriting ability was displayed on her EP, Super Sad Generation which she wrote in under 24 hours with producer Gianluca Buccellati in an Airbnb in London.  Her subsequent singles and EPs have all lead up to the release of her debut album, Collapsed Into Sunbeams which is out on January 29^th.  Stay tuned for more releases from Arlo Parks!

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Feature Image By: Alex Kurunis