To live authentically is to move with the current of existence rather than be shackled by the expectations of others. The world, ever insistent, whispers rules, draws maps, and demands you follow…but who, exactly, set the course? The path is yours to tread, unmarked, unwritten, unfolding only as you step forward. To reject conformity is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake, but a return to the effortless spontaneity of being. A river does not ask permission to flow. A flame does not apologize for burning. There is no fixed self to uphold, only the continuous unfolding of what you already are.
One thing is certain: Sparks walks their own road, untouched by trends, unmoved by expectation. Ron and Russell Mael have been wreaking wry commentary on modern life with their droll lyrics for an incredible five decades. In 1994, they posed the question When Do I Get To Sing My Way? Well, in a statement from the band, we finally have an answer with their latest offering, Do Things My Own Way.
“Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025,” they explain.
Do Things My Own Way marks the first offering from Sparks for the already-tumultuous new year; and it serves as the first glimpse of their upcoming album MAD!. The song barrels forward with a sharp-edged defiance, a battle cry wrapped in metallic percussion and basslines that throb like an engine at full throttle. The usual flamboyance from Russell Mael gives way to something steelier, sharper: a song less about spectacle and more about sheer force of will. He strips back the theatrics, his golden voice stripped down to a flint-struck spark, burning with determination.
This isn’t rebellion for rebellion’s sake; it’s a creed, a manifesto, a rhythm to march to until the walls crack and the doors swing open. The song loops like a mantra, hammering home the simple, unshakable truth: liberation lies in audacity. There is no permission to ask, no map to follow. Break the rules. Dismiss the doubters. Take the wheel. Do things your own way, and watch the world scramble to catch up.
After all, this is what Sparks does best. Sign us right up.
Set for release later this year, MAD! will mark the 28th studio album from Sparks and the first with Transgressive Records.
Sparks will also embark on a world tour in June, hitting Japan, Europe, and the UK throughout the summer.
- 8 JUNE 7:00 PM Kyoto, Japan @ North Hall, ROHM Theatre Kyoto Tickets
- 10 JUNE 7:00 PM Osaka, Japan @ Zepp Namba Tickets
- 12 JUNE 7:00 PM Tokyo, Japan @ Ex Theater Roppongi Tickets
- 13 JUNE 7:00 PM Tokyo, Japan @ Ex Theater Roppongi Tickets
- 18 JUNE 7:00 PM London, UK @ Eventim Apollo Tickets
- 19 JUNE 7:00 PM London, UK @ Eventim Apollo Tickets
- 21 JUNE 7:00 PM Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester Tickets
- 22 JUNE 7:00 PM Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester Tickets
- 24 JUNE 7:00 PM Glasgow, UK @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Tickets
- 26 JUNE 8:00 PM Haarlem, Netherlands @ PHIL Tickets
- 28 JUNE 8:00 PM Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque Royal / Koninklijk Circus Tickets
- 30 JUNE 8:00 PM Paris, France @ Salle Pleyel Tickets
- 1 JULY 8:00 PM Cologne, Germany @ Gloria Tickets
- 3 JULY 7:00 PM Copenhagen, Denmark @ DR Koncerthuset Tickets
- 4 JULY 7:00 PM Stockholm, Sweden @ Grona Lund Tivoli Tickets
- 6 JULY 8:00 PM Berlin, Germany @ Uber Eats Music Hall Tickets
- 8 JULY 7:00 PM Milan, Italy @ Teatro Degli Arcimboldi Tickets
Follow Sparks:
Or via: