Sparks have announced their return to the avant-pop fold with a brand new single, album and a world tour. Tickets for the tour go on sale at 9am on Friday 7 February. Scroll to the bottom of this article for a detailed list of the band’s UK tour dates. 

The new album Mad! is due at some point this year on Transgressive Records and, although details are yet to be announced, it promises to see Ron and Russell Mael mining the same effervescent left-of-centre pop they’ve perfected across five decades. 

This is the band’s 28th (yes, you read that correctly) studio album and continues a purple period in the band’s illustrious career after the release of their blockbuster musical Annette in 2021, Edgar Wright’s documentary on the band The Sparks Brothers in 2021 and the hit album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte in 2023. 

Kicking off the promotional run for Mad! is lead single ‘Do Things My Own Way’, a slow-burner with scrungy electronics, soaring electric guitars and the band’s trademark lyrical wit. 

The video was directed by Los Angeles-based Ambar Navarro, who said, ‘Collaborating with Sparks has been my dream for a long time that took me on my own career journey. It was a new experience getting to work in a fully digital surreal world, pieced together by Dillon Petrillo, and see it all come together at the end. Overall Ron survived his falls with just a few minor cuts.’ 

The band claimed, ‘We hope this video, even in a very small way, finally starts a meaningful dialogue about the dangers of pianos falling out of tall buildings.’ A valiant aim indeed. 

Listen to ‘Do Things My Own Way’ below. 

Sparks’ 2025 UK tour dates: 

Eventim Apollo, London, Wednesday 18 June 
Eventim Apollo, London, Thursday 19 June 
O2 Apollo, Manchester, Saturday 21 June 
O2 Apollo, Manchester, Sunday 22 June 
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Tuesday 24 June 

Tickets for Sparks’ 2025 UK tour dates go on sale at 9am on Friday 7 February.