Out Now: Sparks’ acclaimed new album MAD!
UK Tour dates June and July
In Conversation with Rob Brydon May 25 @ Union Chapel, London
“Pop’s rainbow would be significantly less colourful without Sparks” ★★★★ MOJO
“As forward facing as ever, the Mael brothers still remain willing to take creative risks on an often surprising 28th studio album” ★★★★ Classic Pop
“Further proof of genius” ★★★★★ Record Collector
Louder Than War ★★★★ musicOMH ★★★★ Daily Express ★★★★★
The Line Of Best Fit 8/10 Clash 8/10
“True iconoclasts, Ron and Russell Mael have been doing it their own way for over 50 years as Sparks and that goes double for their 28th album” Brooklyn Vegan
“You don’t just like Sparks, you worship them” SPIN
May 23rd, 2025 – Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael, today release their acclaimed new studio album, MAD!, on Transgressive Records.
MAD! opens with the song ‘Do Things My Own Way’, a piece of typically forward-facing progressive pop that functions as something of a manifesto for the Maels themselves. Because Sparks are a band who have always, always done things their own way. Current radio single ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears’, ‘JanSport Backpack’, ‘My Devotion’ and album closer ‘Lord have Mercy’ – heartfelt observations of enduring or fading love – sit alongside an ode to a freeway in ‘I-405 Rules’, the frustration of a ‘Long Red Light’ and the motivational opus of ‘Don’t Dog It’.
Musically there are nods to new wave, synthpop, art rock and electronic opera – all genres’ Sparks had hands in pioneering or straight up invented. Ultimately, however, MAD! is a modern record that belongs in and speaks to the modern world, which is all the more remarkable when you consider the vintage of its creators.
Very few artists have had as much influence on decades of popular music, or remained as committed to artistic innovation, as Sparks. In the decades since their Todd-Rundgren produced debut in 1972 the duo has moved through numerous genres and phases, including Art-Glam, Neo-Charleston, electronic disco (essentially inventing the synth duo), synthpop, sampler opera and movie musicals. The only common threads, throughout each era, are the exquisite wit of Ron’s lyrics and the complexity of his arrangements, and Russell’s heavenly voice.
This summer and autumn Sparks will be touring Japan, UK, Europe and North America with tickets now available here. Sparks will also join actor, presenter, and comedian Rob Brydon in conversation for An Entirely MAD! Conversation Between Rob Brydon and Sparks! at the Union Chapel, Islington in London on May 25th. Presented by Rough Trade Shops and Transgressive Records, tickets for the event include a physical copy of the album on CD, cassette or vinyl. Limited tickets are on sale from here. spo
Further information on MAD! and background on Sparks is available here.
Watch the Video for ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears’
MAD! Album Artwork download here
MAD! Tracklisting
1 Do Things My Own Way
2 JanSport Backpack
3 Hit Me, Baby
4 Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab
5 My Devotion
6 Don’t Dog It
7 In Daylight
8 I-405 Rules
9 A Long Red Light
10 Drowned In A Sea Of Tears
11 A Little Bit Of Light Banter
12 Lord Have Mercy
MAD! physical formats – buy here
CD
Cassette
Black vinyl LP
Lenticular gatefold sleeve with blue vinyl LP
Deluxe triple gatefold edition with red vinyl LP and CD (exclusive to store.allsparks.com)
MAD! Tour Dates:
Sun. June 8 – Kyoto, JP @ ROHM Theatre
Tue. June 10 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Namba
Thu. June 12 – Fri. June 13 – Tokyo, JP @ EX Theater
Wed. June 18 – Thu. June 19 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Sat. June 21 – Sun. June 22 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
Tue. June 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall [SOLD OUT]
Thu. June 26 – Haarlem, NL @ PHIL Haarlem
Sat. June 28 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Mon. June 30 – Paris, FR @ La Salle Pleyel
Tue. July 1 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
Thu. July 3 – Copenhagen, DK @ The Koncerthuset
Fri. July 4 – Stockholm, SE @ Grona Lund Tivoli
Sun. July 6 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Eats
Tue. July 8 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Sat. July 12 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK
Tue. July 15 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Wed. July 16 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Fri. July 18 – Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
Sat. July 19 – Wolverhampton, UK @ The Halls
Fri. Sept. 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Mon. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theatre
Tue. Sept. 9 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre
Thu. Sept. 11 – Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
Fri. Sept. 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
Sun. Sept. 14 – Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre
Mon. Sept. 15 – Cleveland, OH @ TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic
Wed. Sept. 17 – Toronto, On @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Fri. Sept. 19 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
Sat. Sept. 20 – St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
Tue. Sept. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Wed. Sept. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Fri. Sept. 26 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Sat. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre
Mon. Sept. 29 – El Cajon, CA @ The Magnolia
Tue. Sept. 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
Sparks Online:
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