Sparks has announced the release of its 26th studio album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, which will see the duo return to Island Records.
The duo – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – first rose to fame with the release of their seminal breakthrough album, Kimono In My House, in 1974. That album was also released on Island, followed by two more records in Propaganda and 1975’s Indiscreet.
Making their return to the label almost 50 years later, Sparks will release The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, the latest album in its illustrious career, on May 26.
“Funny how things work!” Russell Mael said in a statement. “One of the most memorable periods for Sparks, the one that forever cemented our relationship with the UK and also exposed Sparks to a bigger audience around the world, was the 70s Island Records era. Chris Blackwell, Muff Winwood, and Co. went all in on our album, Kimono My House, and released a truly non-conventional first single, ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us.’
“Their belief (and ours) proved right: that there was a place for both bold creativity and commerciality in pop music. And here we find ourselves in 2023, almost 50 years later, re-signing with Island Records, again with an album that we all feel is as bold and uncompromising as anything we did back then, or for that matter, anytime throughout our career. We’re happy that after so much time, we’ve reconnected with Island, sharing the same spirit of adventure that we all had way back when, but with our new album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte.”
Louis Bloom, president of Island, added: “Sparks have always been one of the most original, ground-breaking, and creative groups in pop and their longevity is partly down to their ability to constantly reinvent themselves. It’s an honor and thrill having Sparks back on Island. Next year it will be 50 years since Island released Kimono My House. That album sounded like it came from the future, and once again, with The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, Ron & Russell have created a pop masterpiece that sounds like no one else.”
The release of The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte will coincide with a new world tour from the pair, including two sold-out shows at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall. The tour will also include Sparks’ largest headline show in America, which will be announced soon. View the band’s tour dates and purchase tickets here.
Levels of interest in Sparks have reached great new heights in recent years, thanks to the 2021 musical romantic drama Annette, which the cult band wrote and provided music for, as well as the career-spanning 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers. The latter was directed by Edgar Wright and featured commentary from famous fans, including Beck, Jason Schwartzmann, Jack Antonoff, Todd Rundgren, Giorgio Moroder, Flea, the Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin, and more.