Back catalogue: All genres

Review: A lot can change in two years or so. Not least if 2021 saw you release one of the most celebrated records of the current decade, tackling the mental health crisis head on in the midst of a global pandemic. An album that despaired and threw its hands up, declaring that we, collectively, are not alright and something needs to change, all via staggeringly poetic prose, at times bordering on spoken word. Returning from that triumphant episode, Arlo Parks follows up with The Soft Machine, an LP that lands after most of the dust from that global emergency has settled, and she's relocated to sunny Los Angeles to live with partner and alternative rapper, Ashnikko. To say the result is something that sounds warmer, more appreciative of what you've got rather than focussed on what isn't would be an understatement, but the exquisite songwriting and willingness to speak honestly about major issues remains.

Review: Since her debut EP and LP arrived in 2019, Arlo Parks has grown into one of the most vital voices in modern British soul. Following on from 2021's Collapsed In Sunbeams album, My Soft Machine comes on mellow and magnificent, backed up by a strong cast of collaborators but very much steered by Parks at the helm. There's space for crossover pop hooks on the likes of the Paul Hepworth-produced 'Weightless' while Phoebe Bridgers lends her skills to 'Pegasus', and everything feeds into a universal dose of ear-catching neo-soul and artful pop fit for every home. This special edition of My Soft Machine comes pressed in translucent pink wax, housed in a black cloth tote bag and with a friendship bracelet to cement the bond between Parks and her audience.