Arlo Parks, 2SIDED | Beaming with Pride

In the 32^nd edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “2SIDED” performed by alternative singer-songwriter Arlo Parks. 

Prepare to beam with P-R-I-D-E! Beaming with Pride celebrates, embraces, and spotlights songs by LGBTQ musicians or allies.  Here, we provide background and insight into musicians, analyze, plus go gaga over the decadent bops served up.  When songs dictate deeper and more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is fully articulated.  All styles of music are welcome, whether the songs are classics or brand-new. So, without further ado, in the 32^nd edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “2SIDED” performed by Arlo Parks.

British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks (Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) sings, and continues, “Yeah, I only made it out for you.” Ooh-la-la! Something special is brewing on “2SIDED”, the lead single and ninth track on Parks’ 2026 album, Ambiguous Desire. According to Parks, “2SIDED” was the last song written for the album.  Randomly concocted, it was born out of limitation. Parks adds that she was picturing a cold December night in London. Painting a picture of attraction and budding romance outside of the bar/club, according to Parks, neither of you wants to say it, but you take the leap (“I, I feel my heartbeat climb / The moonlight cuts through, white / My friends are all inside”). Parks, Baird, and Rob Bisel wrote “2SIDED.” Baird and Bisel produced it.

“2SIDED” is striking the first time you hear it.  The keys and synths are warm. The sound is exuberant but non troppo. The groove is electrifying, reminiscent of a club. Arlo Parks sings in a calm, cool, and collected fashion.  Her British accent is quite charming. Barely breaking a sweat, she masterfully brings the melodies to life and captures her feelings like a champ. In the second verse, she informs us, “I never really feel at home anywhere / It’s the right place at the wrong time.” Been there, done that! Of course, she desires that this person feels the same way about her – “Tell me it’s two-sided.”  The hope for reciprocated feelings is captured sublimely on the crème de la crème, the chorus.

“The heat and the dark

My head is so clouded (My head is so clouded)

You know how I feel

Tell me it’s two-sided (T-tell me it’s two-sided).”

All told, “2SIDED” is smooth…like butter, BTS! The yearning is real, and confessing feelings, particularly if you are introverted, can be incredibly difficult.  However, if you want someone, ultimately, you have to stop beating around the bush and confess those feelings.  Arlo Parks delivers a chill, but potent bedroom pop/alternative R&B gem that ranks among the best songs of 2026.

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Arlo Parks » Ambiguous Desire » Transgressive Records Ltd. » 2026

Arlo Parks, 2SIDED: Beaming with Pride No. 32 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Transgressive Records Ltd.; Cristyan Bohn, Ketut Subiyanto, Luis Morales Torres, SHVETS production, Uriel Mont from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson, Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay]

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