Arlo Parks: Ambiguous Desire

Arlo Parks — Ambiguous Desire album cover

Jade Read

President / Editor-In-Chief

April 5, 2026

Arlo Parks has always felt like the poetic DJ of West London, and that carries even more on Ambiguous Desire, which plays out like a quiet conversation in the corner of a nightclub, slightly detached from everything happening around it.

The album opens with “Blue Disco,” immediately setting the tone. It leans into the feeling of sadness sitting inside a space meant for euphoric joy, acting as a soft, reflective take on disco. Drawing from the nightlife of London and New York, it shows why Parks has become one of the most compelling voices coming out of both scenes.

By the second track, “Jetta,” things start to build. The sound grows louder and fuller before pulling back again, almost like you’ve stepped outside the club and the music fades into the background, easing into “Get Go.”

“Get Go” is an interesting one. Instead of staying in the corners of the disco, Parks brings things back to the dance floor, framing it as a place of healing, somewhere you go when you need a lift. Inspired by a friend’s breakup, the song leans into dancing through pain, finding comfort in the anonymity of a crowd, and embracing the queer hedonism that defines London and New York nightlife. Parks ends the song by pulling away from the conversation as the music gets louder, letting go of any worries and just enjoying the moment.

As the album’s only featured collaborator, the secret weapon of the R&B genre, Sampha offers brilliant backing vocals and closes out with the final verse of “Senses.” His presence feels like a staple of the London R&B scene and the artists that have come out of it in recent years.

Moving toward the centerpiece of the album, Parks shifts into a more melodic tone. “Heaven,” “Beams,” and “South Seconds” act as a progression from the front half of the album into the back half. As the drums begin to dim and Parks’ voice becomes smoother and more forward in the mix, Ambiguous Desire evolves into the emotional discotheque it set out to be.

After this three-track run, Parks steps back into the electronic sound heard at the beginning of the album. “Nightswimming” plays with glitchy vocals that feel like an internal narrator in the middle of a nightclub scene, capturing the uncertainty of the night alongside the clarity that comes with the “5 a.m. comedown.”

This same sentiment carries into the next track, “2SIDED,” built around confusion after clarity, not fully understanding what happened the night before and trying to piece it together. This leads into “Luck of Life,” arguably the most melodic song on the album. It represents that full morning clarity from a sober perspective. It’s the cleanest track on the album and comes from a place of yearning for the night before, now with a better understanding of both its highs and lows.

“What If I Say It?” continues that sense of yearning. It acts as a late-night reflection, comparing a chaotic night out to a quiet night in, thinking back on the people you met and the mistakes they made. This leads into the final track, “Floette.” “Floette” feels like acceptance, recognizing how people change. It leans into self-discovery, suggesting that change isn’t always something new, but sometimes just the realization of what was already there.

Overall, Ambiguous Desire is exactly what it claims to be: uncertainty, understanding, and discovery. As Parks’ third studio album, it stands as the most personal and intimate in her discography. It explores the pressure to fit in, alongside the vulnerability of choosing yourself and what you want. The album works as a form of audible therapy, or as Parks puts it, “healing in public.” While parts of the album may feel repetitive in sound and theme, it comes across as intentional, a way of reinforcing the message through a consistent style.

The production is some of the best of her career. Parks brings in a wide range of collaborators, including Baird, Paul Epworth, Andrew Sarlo, and Buddy Ross, creating a versatile sound that moves from indie folk to alternative R&B. Ambiguous Desire ultimately feels like a full night out distilled into 39 minutes, offering a clear window into Parks’ mind and experiences.