Arlo Parks’ New LP: A Dance to a New Beat
Arlo Parks Explores Dance Music on New Album Ambiguous Desire
Arlo Parks is embracing the energy of the dance floor on her third album, Ambiguous Desire, set for release April 3 via Transgressive. The 12-track project is introduced by the bass-driven single ”2SIDED,” a song about the uncertainty of reciprocated feelings.
The “2SIDED” music video, directed by Molly Burdett, offers a visual accompaniment to the track. Parks, who grew up in London and now lives in Los Angeles, described the song’s initial sound as “a rough animal.” She explained to SPIN, “I thought, how do I slightly tame this to make it not absolutely obliterating on the ears? But I think it was important for it to feel slightly looming. There’s somthing a bit foreboding about it, but in a way that then explodes into this more euphoric, heart-on-sleeve feeling of being a teenager and how those first feelings rip you apart. You do feel like it’s the end of the world, in a kind of beautiful way.”
While Parks has hinted at electronic influences before, Ambiguous Desire fully commits to the sound, thanks in part to collaborator Baird, a producer known for his work with Brockhampton and Kevin Abstract. Baird also joined Parks for three intimate preview shows in London, New York, and Los angeles late last year. Parks’ longtime collaborator Paul Epworth produced three songs on the album: “Get Go,” “Nightswimming,” and “What if I Say It?”
Parks described the album’s sonic shift as a return to basics.”So much of it was me and Baird in Ableton having those happy accidents and going back to the basics,” she said. The album draws inspiration from U.K. electronic pioneers like Underworld, Massive Attack, and Burial, aiming for drum patterns between 100 and 120 BPM that feel both unique and nostalgic.