Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks has announced a significant shift in musical direction for her upcoming third album, “Ambiguous Desire,” per music-news.com. Moving away from the “soft machine” indie-pop of her earlier work, the British singer-songwriter confirmed the record will embrace club culture, electronic breakbeats, and the communal experience of nightlife.
The transition follows a period the artist described as “reclaiming normality” after several years of intensive touring with acts such as Billie Eilish. Parks told the BBC that spending more time in dance spaces allowed her to move “out of her head and into her body,” a personal evolution that directly informed the album’s pulsing, high-energy production.
To develop the record’s sound, Parks studied the history of communal dance spaces and legendary venues such as New York’s Paradise Garage. The new material draws influence from electronic heavyweights including Burial and Jamie xx, blending her signature poetic lyricism with glitchy basslines and two-step rhythms.
Lead tracks from the project highlight different facets of this electronic influence. The single “Heaven” depicts a Los Angeles rave, while “Get Go” serves as a tribute to London’s pirate radio history. Personal narratives also remain central; the track “2Sided” documents the start of her current relationship during a club night.
While the instrumentation has evolved, Parks noted that the album’s themes remain rooted in romantic uncertainty and the “spiraling” nature of human thought. The artist emphasised that her goal is not to pursue mainstream stadium fame, but to create a “timeless” sound that bridges her intimate songwriting with the euphoria of the dancefloor.
Arlo Parks rose to prominence with her 2021 debut Collapsed in Sunbeams, which won the Mercury Prize and a BRIT Award. Her move into electronic music aligns her with a broader trend of indie artists incorporating UK garage and house influences into traditional songwriting structures.
•Featured image: Arlo Parks/Alex Kurunis
