Mad!

Last updated

Mad!
Mad (Sparks album).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 23, 2025
Recorded2024 [1]
StudioSparks (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length45:45
Label Transgressive
Producer
Sparks chronology
Annette – An Opera by Sparks (The Original 2013 Recordings)
(2024)
Mad!
(2025)
Madder!
(2025)
Singles from Mad!
  1. "Do Things My Own Way"
    Released: January 30, 2025
  2. "JanSport Backpack"
    Released: February 25, 2025
  3. "Drowned in a Sea of Tears"
    Released: April 2, 2025
  4. "My Devotion"
    Released: May 1, 2025
  5. "A Little Bit of Light Banter"
    Released: May 21, 2025

Mad! (stylized as MAD!) is the 26th studio album [3] [1] [4] [5] by American pop and rock duo Sparks, released on May 23, 2025 through Transgressive Records.

Contents

Upon release, the album was met with critical acclaim and continued the group's commercial success in the UK, despite the return to an independent label. Mad! entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 2, the highest in Sparks' career. [6]

Background and recording

During a ceremony at the 2024 AIM Independent Music Awards in which Sparks received the honors of Outstanding Contribution to Music, bandmates Ron and Russell Mael took the opportunity to announce that they had signed a recording contract with Transgressive Records for a new studio album. [7] This follows a continuous period of chart success for the Mael brothers, with Hippopotamus (2017), A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020), and The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (2023) all peaking at no. 7 on the UK Albums Chart, the highest position since Kimono My House peaked at no. 4 in 1974. [6]

Their first album of original material since leaving Island Records, the second time since Big Beat in 1976, Mad! also follows the self-released Annette – An Opera by Sparks (The Original 2013 Recordings) in 2024. [8] In an interview for Mojo magazine, lead vocalist Russell Mael states that in the wake of a successful world tour in promotion for The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte, Sparks had begun on their next studio album, finishing within a six month span. [1]

Promotion and singles

In anticipation for Mad!, Sparks released five attached singles. The first single, "Do Things My Own Way", was released on January 30, 2025, with the music video premiering five days later. [9] The video was directed by Ambar Navarro, who has also worked with artists such as the Lemon Twigs, [10] Weyes Blood, [11] and John Carpenter. [12] In a review of the song for Beats Per Minute, Joshua Pickard praised the effort, stating that it "recalls the idiosyncracies of their early work while also highlighting the more populist sounds of their later releases." [9] Sparks released the second single "JanSport Backpack" on February 25, alongside the announcement of the album's release date, cover, and track listing. [13]

On April 2, 2025, Sparks released their third single "Drowned in a Sea of Tears", [14] followed by another music video directed by Ambar Navarro [5] and starring performer Tina Kronis. [15] The song's atypical sincerity is noted in an interview by Variety's Chris Willman where Ron Mael says that while "We do try to have some level of seriousness below the surface of even the song[ sic ] that are humorous, ... in the traditional definition of what sincerity in a song is, this is more that." [14] On May 1 and 21, the final singles "My Devotion" and "A Little Bit of Light Banter" were respectively released. [16] [17]

On May 25, 2025, just two days after the album's release, Ron and Russell Mael joined comedian and actor Rob Brydon for a ninety-minute [18] interview at Union Chapel, London. [19] [20] Ahead of the promotional event, entitled An Entirely MAD! Conversation Between Rob Brydon and Sparks!, Brydon said that he had been a fan of the duo since being gifted a cassette of Sparks' 1974 album Propaganda for his ninth birthday. [21]

Release

After its release on May 23, 2025, [13] Mad! debuted at no. 2 in the UK and no. 1 on both the Scottish and the UK Independent charts. This represents Sparks' highest UK chart position in their career, beating their previous record of no. 4 with Kimono My House (1974). [6] The weekly charts, which run every Friday, [22] include an additional midweek chart called the "Official Albums Chart Update", which compiles sales from Friday to Sunday. [23] This had Mad!, without the support of a major record label, reach the top position of no. 1, higher than Sparks' previous record of 2020's A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip at no. 4. [6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10 [24]
Metacritic 82/100 [25]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [26]
Clash 8/10 [27]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [28]
Louder Than War Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [29]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [30]
Paste 7.6/10 [31]
PopMatters 7/10 [32]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [33]
The Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [34]

Mad! received a score of 82/100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on 11 critics, which it categorized as "universal acclaim". [25] Another aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album 7.6/10 based on 11 critical reviews. [24]

In a four-star review for Mojo , James McNair said that on the album, the Mael brothers "continue to concoct songs that are distinctively, resolutely Mael. On MAD!, synth-pop, art-rock and a programmed Shostakovich vibe (see paean to Californian interstate highway I-405 Rules) all feed into their skewed, self-contained universe, the arrangements as unpredictable as the subject matter." [2] Robin Murray of Clash thought the album "seems to represent everything special about this period in their work." [27] Rating the album 7.6 out of 10 for Paste , Camyn Teder praised the songs' "unique structures" and satirical outlook, saying they "leave room for the thing that makes songs so great: a mystical ambiguity"; while they believed that Mad! was repetitive at times, they expressed that "this is certainly another feather in the cap for Sparks." [31]

Writing for the magazine Record Collector , Simon Price said in a five-star review that "MAD! enters, and attempts to reflect, a world that is mad in both the American (angry) and British (crazy) senses," citing "a new (or renewed) toughness to the sound" on certain tracks that draw comparisons to their sixth album Big Beat (1976). [33] Christopher Hamilton-Peach of The Line of Best Fit cited "Hit Me Baby" as an example, before concluding "The angular flexes in style and wordplay tied together with Russell's high wire deployment prove as duly consistent a formula as any of the standout entries in the duo's crowded discography." [28] In a four-star review for MusicOMH , John Murphy said, despite minor reservations concerning the repetition in songs such as "Hit Me, Baby" and "Running Up a Tab...", that "By the time the closing track... comes around, you’ll be mentally reordering your list of top 10 all-time Sparks albums." [30]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron and Russell Mael.

Mad! track listing [13]
No.TitleLength
1."Do Things My Own Way"3:40
2."JanSport Backpack"4:13
3."Hit Me, Baby"3:44
4."Running Up a Tab at the Hotel for the Fab"4:21
5."My Devotion"4:19
6."Don't Dog It"3:19
7."In Daylight"4:11
8."I-405 Rules"3:22
9."A Long Red Light"3:03
10."Drowned in a Sea of Tears"3:21
11."A Little Bit of Light Banter"3:30
12."Lord Have Mercy"4:42
Total length:45:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from the CD liner notes [35] and Tidal. [36]

Sparks

Additional musicians

Technical and design

Charts

Chart performance for Mad!
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [37] 159
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38] 48
Scottish Albums (OCC) [6] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [39] 67
UK Albums (OCC) [6] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [6] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [40] 27

Madder!

Madder!
Madder (Sparks).jpg
EP by
ReleasedOctober 3, 2025 (2025-10-03)
Recorded2025
Length14:52
Label Transgressive
Producer
Sparks chronology
Mad!
(2025)
Madder!
(2025)
Singles from Madder!
  1. "Porcupine"
    Released: September 2, 2025

Madder! (stylized as MADDER!) is the upcoming debut extended play by Sparks, scheduled for release on October 3, 2025. Its lead single, "Porcupine", was released on 2 September 2, 2025 alongside the announcement of the EP, and according to a press statement, Madder! is intended to be a companion release to their latest album Mad!, and the four tracks that comprise the record were quickly recorded in the wake of the album's release earlier that year. [41]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron and Russell Mael. [42]

Madder! track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Porcupine"3:45
2."Fantasize"3:23
3."Mess Up"3:13
4."They"4:31
Total length:14:52

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal. [42]

Sparks

Additional musicians

References

  1. 1 2 3 Harrison, Ian (July 22, 2024). "Sparks: 'It's a disservice to pop music to come out with stuff that isn't cool.'". Mojo . Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 McNair, James (May 8, 2025). "Sparks: MAD! – Their 28th studio album! How mad is that?". Mojo . No. 380. p. 79.
  3. Amorosi, A.D. (May 21, 2025). "Sparks, MAD!". Flood. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  4. Graff, Gary (May 22, 2025). "Sparks Talk New Album 'Mad!', Making a Movie Musical With John Woo & Noticing 'Fewer' Visionaries in the Music Biz". Billboard . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Kreps, Daniel (April 3, 2025). "Sparks Share New 'Mad!' Single and Announce North American Tour" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Sparks | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  7. Duran, Anagricel (October 18, 2024). "Sparks announce signing to Transgressive Records". NME . Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  8. "Sparks Release New Single, Reveal New Album Title Tour Dates". Louder Than War . January 30, 2025. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Pickard, Joshua (February 4, 2025). "Sparks bring awareness to the dangers of falling pianos in their video for 'Do Things My Own Way'". Beats Per Minute . Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  10. Skinner, Tom (February 14, 2023). "The Lemon Twigs announce fourth album 'Everything Harmony', share new single 'Any Time Of Day'". NME . Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  11. Corcoran, Nina (September 18, 2023). "Watch Weyes Blood's New Video for 'Twin Flame'". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  12. Johnson, Christopher (March 7, 2024). "John Carpenter Announces 'Lost Themes IV: Noir'". WECB . Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 Redfern, Mark (February 25, 2025). "Sparks Confirm New Album Details, Release New Single 'JanSport Backpack'". Under the Radar . Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Willman, Chris (April 2, 2025). "Sparks on the Duo's U.S. Summer Tour, New 'Drowned in a Sea of Tears' Single, Forthcoming 'Mad!' Album and That John Woo Movie Musical (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  15. Pearis, Bill (April 2, 2025). "Sparks announce North American tour, share 'Drowned in a Sea of Tears' from new album". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  16. Redfern, Mark (May 1, 2025). "Sparks Share New Song 'My Devotion'". Under the Radar . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  17. Nasatir, Issa (May 21, 2025). "Sparks Share New Song 'A Little Bit of Light Banter'". Under the Radar . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  18. Winston, Fran (May 26, 2025). "Gavin and Stacey star says 'I hate myself' as they issue plea to music legends". Daily Express . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  19. Dessau, Rob (April 29, 2025). "Rob Brydon to Interview Sparks Onstage". Beyond the Joke. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  20. Stickler, Jon (May 1, 2025). "Sparks Release New Track My Devotion". Stereoboard. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  21. Winston, Fran (April 27, 2025). "Gavin and Stacey star makes huge career announcement with music legends". Daily Express . Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  22. "About". Official Charts Company . Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  23. "Official Albums Chart Update: 25 May 2025 – 31 May 2025". Official Charts Company . Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Sparks – MAD!". Any Decent Music?. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  25. 1 2 "MAD! by Sparks". Metacritic . Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  26. Phares, Heather (May 23, 2025). "Mad! – Sparks". AllMusic . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Murray, Robin (May 22, 2025). "Sparks – MAD! – A glorious return from the art-pop brothers..." Clash . Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  28. 1 2 Hamilton-Peach, Christopher (May 22, 2025). "Sparks continue toying with creative flourishes on MAD!". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  29. Plummer, Robert (May 23, 2025). "Sparks: MAD! – Album Review". Louder Than War . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  30. 1 2 Murphy, John (May 22, 2025). "Sparks – MAD!". musicOMH . Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  31. 1 2 Teder, Camryn (May 23, 2025). "Sparks Blend Maximalism and Satire on MAD!". Paste . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  32. Lyng, Eoghan (May 21, 2025). "Sparks Refuse to Sit on Their Laurels with 'Mad!'". PopMatters . Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  33. 1 2 Price, Simon (May 19, 2025). "MAD! | Sparks". Record Collector . No. 571. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  34. Perry, Andrew (May 23, 2025). "Sparks, Mad!, review: eccentric brilliance with pearls of wisdom". The Telegraph . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  35. Sparks (2025). MAD! (CD liner notes). Transgressive. TRANS850CD.
  36. "MAD! / Sparks / Credits". Tidal. May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  37. "Ultratop.be – Sparks – Mad!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  38. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sparks – Mad!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  39. "Swisscharts.com – Sparks – Mad!". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  40. "Sparks Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  41. Strauss, Matthew (September 2, 2025). "Sparks Announce Madder! EP, Share New Song 'Porcupine': Listen". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  42. 1 2 "MADDER! / Sparks / Credits". Tidal. 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.