Following the announcement of her forthcoming album Ambiguous Desire, twice Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award–winning artist Arlo Parks today shares a new taste of the record ahead of its release on 3rd April via Transgressive Records. Today’s single, ‘Heaven’, hammers through a cathartic, earth-shaking bassline, inspired by Parks dancing to an early morning set from her friend, the DJ Kelly Lee Owens under the bridge at her favourite Los Angeles rave. A brave departure from her previous work, ‘Heaven’ sees Parks lean into her deep love for underground electronic dance music and drum patterns. Driven by a techno bassline, the track tells the story of someone longing for the night to not end. In her words, Arlo elaborates “Heaven is about euphoria, community and staying present. Being in a room full of strangers sweating, connecting, losing and finding themselves is a kind of magic that’s beyond language. This song was my attempt at capturing that feeling.”

LISTEN TO ‘HEAVEN’ | WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO

‘Heaven’ closely follows ‘2SIDED’, the first song from the new record, released last month alongside the album announcement. Hailed as a “stunning comeback track” by Rolling Stone UK and described as “her most confident yet” by The FADER, ‘2SIDED’ premiered as BBC Radio 1’s first Hottest Record of 2026, earned a spot on the A List at BBC 6 Music, and was later named Tune of the Week at Radio 1. On release week, Arlo also stepped into the NTS Radio studios for her own show of club music and current favourites, offering an early glimpse into the sounds shaping this era – listen back to her mix here.

That club-rooted energy runs throughout Ambiguous Desire. Over the past two years, Arlo dove headfirst into nocturnal spaces where she could be whoever she wanted. She drew inspiration from the queer hedonism of NYC’s Paradise Garage to the moody nocturnal British beats of The Streets and Burial, the glittering synth catharsis of LCD Soundsystem, and rooted house grooves of Theo Parrish, losing herself on the dancefloor. The record is Parks at her most confident and experimental, supplanting live band sessions for modular synths, Ableton plugins and samplers that channel the frenetic, vibrant spaces she was immersed in, all while spotlighting the acclaimed poetry and lyricism she’s beloved for.

Reflecting on the making of the record, Parks shares, “I danced more than ever as I made this record, I made more friends than ever too, found myself in the weird underbelly of New York juke nights, unleashed, laughed and laughed and laughed. This record has desire at its center. Desire is a life force, it’s a wanting, a yearning, a momentum – we are all alive because there is something or someone we want – desire is an engine. But it is also mysterious, tangled, random, enlightening and HUMAN.”

Parks crafted the album with producer Baird (Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract). Their process unfolded between NYC’s vibrant, community-rooted nightlife and long, introspective days spent in Baird’s downtown loft. The result is Parks’ most vulnerable, self-affirming, and euphoric work to date.

Bursting onto the scene with her distinct blend of raw lyrical self-expression and vivid vocal melody, Parks has since been nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, won the Mercury Music Prize for her 2021 Gold-certified debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams, been named a Breakthrough Artist at the Brit Awards, and been nominated at the Ivor Novello Awards. A poet as much as a performer, Parks followed up her previous critically acclaimed album My Soft Machine with the debut of her first published book, The Magic Border, a collection of 20 new poems and exclusive images by Daniyel Lowden alongside lyrics from My Soft Machine.

Arlo is also a featured writer on Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning album Cowboy Carter. Arlo has performed at Glastonbury and Coachella, opened for Billie Eilish and Harry Styles and captivated audiences across the world with her headline tour. Upon the release of previous album My Soft Machine Arlo performed on NPR Tiny Desk and appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.  

Arlo Parks will perform a series of SOLD OUT intimate UK record store shows to celebrate the album’s release, offering fans a rare chance to experience a live performance in an up-close setting. Date listings are below with further details here. 

2nd April – Rough Trade x fabric, London – SOLD OUT
4th April – Crash x Wardrobe, Leeds – SOLD OUT
6th April – Rough Trade Nottingham x Rescue Rooms, Nottingham – SOLD OUT
7th April – Rough Trade East, London – SOLD OUT
8th April – Banquet x Circuit, London – SOLD OUT
9th April – Resident x CHALK, Brighton – SOLD OUT
11th April – Truck x O2 Academy, Oxford – SOLD OUT
12th April – Vinilo x The 1865, Southampton – SOLD OUT