Madder!

About

In August 2025, Sparks keyboardist Ron Mael celebrated his 80th birthday, but if there was ever a group that proves age is just a number, it’s this fraternal LA institution. Ron and his lead-singer brother, Russell, remain rock’s most seasoned satirists, their singular mix of cunning cultural commentary and electro-glam experimentation losing none of its zing after more than a half-century in the game. <i>MADDER!</i> arrives on the heels of the duo’s 26th studio album, <i>MAD!</i>, and amazingly, it marks the first EP entry in their dense discography. However, this isn’t merely a collection of leftovers: Recorded in the wake of <i>MAD!</i>’s May 2025 release, these four tracks constitute a stand-alone sequel that harnesses its predecessor’s live-wire energy in more delightfully unpredictable ways. Beginning as a space-age bachelor-pad synth doodle, the cheeky femme-fatale character study “Porcupine” reveals itself to be a glitter-rock stomper that harkens back to the duo’s mid-’70s masterworks—at least until the chirpy mariachi horns start poking through the mix. By contrast, “Fantasize” uses Russell’s repeated “no no no no” refrain as the bouncy-beat foundation for an operatic rendering of unrequited desire, while “Mess Up” is a dizzying swirl of carnivalesque keyboards and hiccuping rhythms. But the Maels ease off the manic momentum for the EP’s slow-building finale, “They,” which oozes out like Bowie’s “Fame” left to melt in the sun before achieving liftoff with a surge of spine-tingling strings and choral chants.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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