Ambiguous Desire

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Arlo Parks has traded her bedroom walls for the dance floor in her new album, Ambiguous Desire. Her third album layers her angelic voice over bold new genres, pushing her sound into an exciting domain.

The album opens with Blue Disco, a shoegazing indie-synth track that feels like the opening scene of a romance—a motif that is prevalent throughout.

While Parks has shown the breadth of her talents beyond her original singer-songwriter style with My Soft Machine, Ambiguous Desire continues to challenge expectations, offering 12 varied tracks to keep the listener engaged.

Get Go leans heavily into breakbeat-garage style, with sampled voices, electronic melodies, and filtered bass.  The album inspires vivid imagery throughout; this track transports you to a crowded, hazy, London basement pulsing with energy.

On Senses, featuring fellow London singer-songwriter Sampha, a syncopated garage beat meets a lo-fi, hazy synth atmosphere, building a silky smooth foundation before concluding with a soulful, melodic surprise.

Throughout the album, Parks experiments with drum machines versus live kits, garage beats with hints of drum and bass, and layered, filtered synths—most notably on the final track, Floette. It begins with a soulful, lo-fi R&B vibe, then accelerates into double time, creating a sweeping arc, as if the heroine is running toward her love as the movie commences.

This album has peaks and troughs in energy that take the listener on a journey. It’s an album that can be enjoyed in full or as music that paints your days in a cinematic light.