By Juno Kelly.

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Arlo Parks' hazy melodies underscore the disillusionment that seems to exist at the heart of generation Y and Z's collective consciousness. Born and raised in South West London, the young singer/songwriter tackles the familiar musician-friendly topics: love, heartbreak and the passage of time, via shrewd metaphors euphoniously sung over dulcet beats.

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Parks' music is, however, far from quotidian. With four songs on Spotify, one of which was released just yesterday, Parks has managed to accumulate almost 300,000 monthly listeners. Her insightful lyrics tap into our idealistic fantasia (which she largely attributes to social media), "Yesterday I heard you say, everything will sort itself when I get to LA," confirming that Parks is wise beyond her 18 years.

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Via her eloquent interview answers, Parks seems discerning and perceptive. Song writing is not something she entered into lightly; her influences are varied and urbane, whilst her grounding in literate and poetry is far from customary for modern, 21st century musicians.

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LOVE: Who are your biggest influences - musical or otherwise?

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Arlo Parks: I’d say my biggest general influences are Robert Smith, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Quentin Tarantino and Sylvia Plath. I’ve always gravitated towards idiosyncratic creatives.

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LOVE: How did you initially start writing songs? Did it stem from an interest in literature/poetry or just come from more of a raw, emotional place?

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AP: I would say songwriting started off as a kind of personal therapy. Writing songs was a way for me to whine about the things that made me anxious and celebrate experiences and people. Poetry and literature heavily influenced my style of lyricism and helped me distil those feelings into words.

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LOVE: Your music taps into this societal disillusionment that our generation seems to be experiencing - what do you think it stems from?

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AP: I think it’s come from the technological age, honestly - we’re all hyper self-aware and able to compare ourselves to everything and everyone all the time - it’s a toxic combination. Honestly I think social media has created a culture of feeling permanently dissatisfied with our lives, it’s sad.

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LOVE: Can you tell us more about your upcoming EP?

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AP: So the EP is called Super Sad Generation, and it’s about the worries and struggles of kids my age. It’s centred around the idea of desire, both romantic and material, and the fact that wanting things has made us all a bit miserable and jaded.

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LOVE: What was your latest song ‘Romantic Garbage’ inspired by?

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AP: Romantic Garbage was written when I was 16 and infatuated with a boy who looked like a permanently exhausted Kurt Cobain. It’s supposed to sum up the idea of someone making you giddy and flustered to the point where you’re willing to invest a bit too much.

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www.thelovemagazine.co.uk/article/meet-arlo-parks-the-euphonious-voice-of-generation-z