Arlo Parks - Ambiguous Desire

There’s a clear shift happening on Ambiguous Desire, and it started before we ever pressed play. After the soft, introspective pull of Collapsed in Sunbeams and the more expansive emotional palette of My Soft Machine, this third record feels like a deliberate step outwards, less inside the bedroom and more in the club.

That shift makes sense. Parks has spoken about stepping away from the constant motion of touring and, for the first time in a while, actually living, going out, staying out late, and leaning into the kind of spontaneity that doesn’t really exist when you’re writing from a place of reflection. You can hear that change immediately. These songs don’t linger in the same way her earlier work did; they evolve quite nicely.

The most striking thing about Ambiguous Desire is how naturally that movement fits her. The core of Parks’ songwriting, those close, confessional lines and soft-edged melodies, is still intact, but now it’s wrapped in something more kinetic. There’s a pulse running through the record, whether it’s the strobing synths of 'Heaven' or the breakbeat drive of 'Senses', that pushes her sound into club territory without losing the intimacy she’s known for. It never feels like a full reinvention for the sake of it. Instead, it’s more of an expansion.

Tracks pull from house, UK garage, and late-night electronica, but they’re filtered through Parks’ usual lens, warm, slightly hazy, and emotionally grounded. Even at its most upbeat, there’s still a sense of reflection tucked into the corners.

There was much more than crate-digging influence involved in shaping this LP’s sound and sonic-scape:

“She immersed herself in New York’s and Los Angeles’ clubbing scenes (the singer-songwriter moved to LA in 2022), heading out with DJ friends and becoming a regular at the vibrant monthly Midnight Lovers night, soaking up its techno and house sounds deep into the night.” Apple Music writes regarding Ambiguous Desire.

That balance is what keeps the album from drifting into something less distinct. Where a lot of artists get swallowed by the aesthetics of dance music, Parks keeps things centered. Her voice, both literally and lyrically, remains the anchor. The production, handled largely alongside collaborators like Baird, builds around her rather than overtaking her, giving the record a kind of understated cohesion.

There’s also a noticeable looseness here; songs feel less structured, more instinctive.You get the sense that she’s not overworking ideas, not sanding everything down to perfection. That aligns with the ethos she’s described, wanting to be “all the way in” rather than observing from a distance, and it gives the album a kind of immediacy that wasn’t always present before.

If you desire structure, as we tend to do once it’s gone, then this album doesn’t leave you lacking either. There are clear-cut essential tracks such as my personal favorite ‘2SIDED’, where I quite literally turn the radio up to near full volume whenever it gets played. ‘2SIDED’ isn’t a unicorn; there are plenty of similar tracks, such as 'Nightswimming', that feature much of the same dance-pop elements in a straightforward radio-friendly package.

What Ambiguous Desire ultimately lands on is a version of Arlo Parks that feels more present. Not necessarily louder or more dramatic, but more willing to take up space. It’s a record about stepping into new environments and letting that change you, even subtly It might not have the same quiet gravity as her debut, but it doesn’t need to. This is a different kind of statement, one that trades stillness for motion and introspection for experience. And in that shift, Parks doesn’t lose herself. If anything, she sounds more certain of who she is now than ever before.

If not the whole album, at least give a few tracks a listen. You can stream here, and also be sure to check out her site for more info and tour dates. Thanks for reading!