MAD!

On May 23rd, 2025, Sparks, the revered Los Angeles glam rock power pop brother duo helmed by Ron and Russell Mael, will release their new studio album titled "MAD!". The album was just officially detailed and came with the debut of a new song called “Jansport Backpack”. It’s the 2nd song shared so far from the album, following “Do Things My Own Way”.

"MAD!" finds Ron and Russell examining cultural phenomena such as branded backpacks, tattoos, performative devotion, whether to a God, a lover, a celebrity or a sports team, the hegemony of banter, and the rise of influencers. The satire is never on the nose, always retaining enough ambiguity for the listener to fill in the blanks. And the exquisitely unusual lexicon (you won’t hear the word 'epistemology' on many other albums this year), and cultural references (“Howard Hughes in Jordan 2's” on the previously released single “Do Things My Own Way”), leap out on every listen.