Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks released her latest single ‘Beams’ to accompany her latest studio album ‘Ambiguous Desire’, marking a turn in creative direction. The track itself adopts a slower approach compared to what we associate with Parks, replacing the intricate beats of old with a vast, spacey feel to her sound. Beams is the final piece of the ‘Ambiguous Desire’ puzzle, an album which has been three years in the making.
The muffled backbeat fading in and out lands the track firmly within ‘trip-hop’, and serves to perfectly underscore Parks’ rumination. This is paired with the deep, body-shaking bass rumbling throughout the track, which draws attention back to the song just as the melody has allowed the mind to wander. Lyrically, Parks makes her honesty so plain and simple, even when exploring themes so distant from simplicity. Reflecting on feelings of longing and relying on those around you, Parks delivers a smashing blow to the construction of her ‘self’ in making clear her reliance on one particular individual. “I know I said I’d be ok, but you’re smashin' me up” reverberates around the track, whilst ringing true for many of us listening. This is the drive behind Parks’ work, having released her debut album at just twenty years old, her latest project serves to prioritise her self-expression before anything else. This spacey, reflective track, which spirals in a search for answers but fails to bring any clarity to Parks’ distinctly ‘Ambiguous Desire’, succinctly reflects the journey Parks has been on throughout her career.
Throughout the track exists an ongoing tension between the delicate intimacy in the lyrics clashing against the huge soundscape created, underlining Parks’ unsettled nature throughout her career. In opening this single with her “soberin' up”, we crash into the song disoriented and unsure, mirroring the confusion Parks has had to overcome in the experiences outlined in this song. ‘Beams’ is an exploration of her own self-worth - an all-consuming and often confusing theme to wrap your head around - and we move in step with her bouncing between “I feel it all” and “Nothing at all”. ‘Beams’ makes up one of twelve tracks on Arlo Parks’ latest album ‘Ambiguous Desire’, which she will be taking on an expansive tour throughout the rest of the year.
Joseph Madden
Image: ‘Ambiguous Desire’ Official Album Cover