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- Summary: The latest full-length release from British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks features a guest appearance by Sampha and production by Baird as well as Paul Epworth, Buddy Ross, and Andrew Sarlo.
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- Record Label: Transgressive
- Genre(s): Alternative, R&B, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative R&B
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 13
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Mixed: 1 out of 13
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Negative: 0 out of 13
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Apr 2, 2026It’s an album that feels lived in, drawing listeners into its world while leaving room for their own experiences to settle between the lines. In the tension between euphoria and comedown, connection and isolation, Arlo Parks delivers her most vividly realised and affecting body of work to date.
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Apr 2, 2026There’s a sway to the melodies that slip around you, supportive but unassuming, like an old friend’s arm around the waist.
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Apr 3, 2026A work of dancefloor renewal, ‘Ambiguous Desire’ is explicit in its aims – to move your body, and move your soul.
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Apr 22, 2026From the fun retro-synth beats and singable chorus of “Get Go” to the watery and shimmering closing track “Floette” where she incants “We’re blossomin’”—the direction is up.
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Apr 3, 2026While the record delivers on joyful bass drops and club life vignettes, it occasionally leaves you longing for just a bit more unchoreographed chaos.
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Apr 3, 2026Parks has always had a light, airy voice, and here it often seems like she's struggling to be heard over the bass, while the breakbeat-driven grooves are more immediate than the songs' hooks. Nevertheless, there's still some quality material on Ambiguous Desire, even if its pleasures are nearly as ephemeral as the nights out that inspired the album.
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Apr 3, 2026There’s a lot to enjoy in Ambiguous Desire, an undeniably a splendidly crafted and blissfully atmospheric album. You just sometimes wish that Parks had leaned a bit further into the grit and chaos of the US club scene that inspired her.