Sparks have shared a new single called ‘Do Things My Own Way’, as well as announcing a new album and details of a tour. Find out the details below.
Announced today (January 30), the new single from brothers Ron and Russell Mael marks their first of 2025, and is the first teaser of an upcoming album called ‘MAD!’.
Set for release later this year, the record will mark the 28th studio album from the duo and the first to be shared on their new label home Transgressive Records.
Now, the art-pop duo have shared the lead single called ‘Do Things My Own Way’ – a track that both moves away from what is expected to reveal something new, and also retains the same charm that put the band on the map.
“Gonna run, gonna fly/ Gonna do things my own way,” they sing in the opening verse, gradually building up towards the chorus. “Feeling right, feeling tight/ Gonna do things my own way/ Got the fuel, broke the rules/ Gonna do things my own way.”
Tune in below:
At time of writing, limited details have been shared about the forthcoming album, including the release date and the general direction that the duo have taken musically.
That being said, the lead single has been described by the Maels as something of a manifesto – seeing them stay loyal to their roots while pushing their sound into new territory. “Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025”, they said.
The duo have also shared details of an upcoming tour across the UK, Europe and Japan to celebrate the forthcoming release. The shows kick off in June with four shows in Japan, before heading over to the UK.
For the UK shows, two nights are planned for London’s Eventim Apollo, two nights are scheduled for Manchester’s O2 Apollo, and one show will be held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.
The remainder of the dates will see Sparks head to counties in Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy.
Tickets go on sale on February 7 at 10am local time. Visit here to buy tickets and check below to see a full list of new tour dates.
Sparks’ ‘MAD!’ tour dates 2025 are:
JUNE
8 – Kyoto, ROHM Theatre (Japan)
10 – Osaka, Zepp Namba (Japan)
12 – Tokyo, EX Theater (Japan)
13 – Tokyo, EX Theater (Japan)
18 – London, Eventim Apollo (UK)
19 – London, Eventim Apollo (UK)
21 – Manchester, O2 Apollo (UK)
22 – Manchester, O2 Apollo (UK)
24 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall (UK)
26 – Haarlem, PHIL Haarlem (Netherlands)
28 – Brussels, Cirque Royal (Belgium)
30 – Paris, La Salle Pleyel (France)
JULY
1 – Cologne, Gloria-Theater (Germany)
3 – Copenhagen, The Koncerthuset (Denmark)
5 – Stockholm, Grona Lund Tivoli (Sweden)
6 – Berlin, Uber Eats (Germany)
8 – Milan, Teatro degli Arcimboldi (Italy)
News of the new album comes as the group teased their comeback and the follow-up to ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte‘ on social media earlier this week.
Before then, the band reflected on their time working with director Edgar Wright for the 2021 career-spanning documentary The Sparks Brothers. In an interview with NME that year, Ron said, “Cinema has always been a part of us. The idea of exploding, having something grandiose and colourful and dramatic is something that really had an effect on us.”
The group would go on to win Best Music Film at the BandLab NME Awards in 2022
In a four-star review of ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’, which was shared in 2023, NME called the album “a reminder that even now, Sparks are completely content with boldly going first, taking their music into ambitious territory no one else has been before, making it easier for other acts to (hopefully) follow suit.”
The post Sparks repeat their “mantra since 1972” on single ‘Do Things My Own Way’, announce new album ‘MAD!’ with UK, Europe and Japan tour appeared first on NME.
