Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte review – one artful banger after another

Almost half a century after their 1974 breakthrough, Kimono My House, marked their arrival on Island Records, Ron and Russell Mael return to the label for their 26th album. But The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte is far from an exercise in backwards-looking nostalgia or a rehash of former glories. In fact, it’s an utter joy, one gloriously artful pop banger overflowing with clever ideas following another.

Throughout, arresting lyrics and equally arresting melodies jostle for the listener’s attention. The staccato menace of We Go Dancing imagines Kim Jong-un as a DJ to rival Skrillex or Diplo; Not That Well-Defined is deliciously dismissive: “I’d say that you’re not that well-defined/ A photograph after too much wine.” The new wave-influenced Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is is infectiously upbeat; The Mona Lisa’s Packing, Leaving Late Tonight has an irresistible swing; the slower Gee, That Was Fun closes things in thoughtfully melancholic fashion, Russell itemising all the regrets that come with the end of a relationship atop Ron’s stately piano backing. There’s not a weak song here. A genuine pleasure to listen to.