Arlo Parks spent two years chasing the feeling of losing herself on dancefloors in LA, New York and London, and it shows. Ambiguous Desire pulls from UK garage, breakbeat, house and techno without committing to any one template. The production, mostly handled with Baird, plus contributions from Paul Epworth, Buddy Ross and Andrew Sarlo, leans on modular synths and samplers rather than live band takes. Pirate radio breaks rattle under "Get Go". "Heaven" rides a low-end throb inspired by Kelly Lee Owens' DJ sets. "Nightswimming" steps through two-step rhythms while Parks layers harmonies about falling in love.
Sampha guests on "Senses", the most explicitly soulful moment here. Elsewhere Parks pushes into poppier territory: "Floette" slows a breakbeat to a crawl and builds a sticky melodic hook around queer joy. "2SIDED" stacks synths over rattling drum machines. The lyrical through-line is nocturnal self-discovery, the kind that happens when you're anonymous in a crowd or walking home at dawn. References to Larry Levan, The Streets, Burial and LCD Soundsystem give you the rough co-ordinates.
This is her third album and the first where club culture sits at the centre rather than the edges. If you followed her from the singer-songwriter lane this will feel like a left turn, but the introspection is still there. Just set to a different BPM.
