Sparks have achieved a career-best result with their 28th studio album, MAD!
The Californian duo’s first album on Transgressive has charted at No.2 (8,980 sales – Official Charts Company), having been ahead of eventual winner Sabrina Carpenter all week.
MAD! is Sparks’ seventh UK Top 40 album and tops their previous peak of No.4 with 1974’s Kimono My House.
Ron and Russell Mael have also helped to deliver the best chart result to date for independent label Transgressive, which previously secured No.3 albums for Foals and Arlo Parks. The wider Transgressive company had a No.1 as music publisher of Foals with Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2 in 2019.
Although Sparks missed out on No.1 by around 700 copies, MAD! did reach the summit on the physical albums chart, the independent albums chart, the CD albums chart, the vinyl albums chart and the Scottish albums chart.
Here, Transgressive company director Toby L reacts to Sparks’ chart result and opens up about the thrill of working with the influential duo…
What was it like to be part of this chart race in the past week with Sparks setting the pace?
“You are only able to be as successful as the music you release, and from hearing MAD! for the first time, we knew that Sparks had crafted yet another bold, inventive and distinctive classic; as strong as anything released in their remarkable 28-album, 53-year-spanning catalogue. From the outset of our signing and partnership with the band and their manager, Sue Harris, our collective aspirations were to achieve new career goals, experiences and peaks for Sparks – although it’s fair to say that the week one UK chart results have utterly eclipsed initial expectations.
“We knew from the off that it was going to be a very competitive week, full of compelling new releases, returning acts and some huge streamers. As such our expectations remained ambitious, yet measured. So, as soon as we saw the midweek No.1, we were all blown away. At that point, our revised goal became to potentially beat their best ever prior UK chart position – No.4 for Kimono My House – which, magically, has now happened.
“The thrill of signing a band as legendary, and influential and contemporary as Sparks, and collaborating with them to achieve a new career high chart position, is honestly one of our greatest rewards yet as a label. Given their ongoing growth in popularity in recent years, to see that build continuing is truly wonderful. It’s fair to say that we are all over the moon today.
“Hopefully it serves as another proof-point in the current market that artists can truly achieve their best results creatively and commercially with the focus and vision that’s possible with a passionate team at an independent label.”
Sparks charted at No.7 with their three previous studio albums, what were your expectations this time? What was key to the strong result?
“Once again, the music and its timely themes – we had the privilege of spending time with the record before we decided to work together. It felt like yet another fresh start musically from Sparks, and intuitively it’s always felt like we were a mutually complementary match. We are all independent thinkers and want to do things differently – in fact, the first single, Do Things My Own Way, felt like a shared mantra for both the band and the label.
They are creatively uncompromising, possess a defined vision and, quite frankly, are a dream to work with
Toby L
“From there, we had a lot of strong, extremely varying singles to work with; we spent a lot of time working on the creative direction and the physical formats and visual portrayal of the material; and we also had an exhaustive promotional schedule worldwide to help support its release. As we got closer to release we were able to do some inventive things with outdoor visibility, digital activations, as well as a special conversation event with Rob Brydon at the Union Chapel, in association with Rough Trade shops, broadcast on YouTube.
“We always love doing out-stores and performances surrounding record releases, but that wasn’t an option for the band’s schedule, so we took extra care and time to build the narrative and identity for the record online and offline – in that regard, it’s been a gradual reveal, hopefully providing plenty of entry points and surprises for existing and new fans alike.”
The Mael brothers have always had a strong UK focus during their long career, what do you think this career-best result will mean to them?
“I hope for them it’s another marker in their ascendency, a badge of honour that they remain on the right track artistically. They are creatively uncompromising, possess a defined vision and, quite frankly, are a dream to work with: open, exploratory and extremely hard-working. This has been a terrific effort from the band, the whole team and family at Transgressive, Republic Media, plus all the incredible wider teams, new and old, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
“And yet with touring still to commence for this record, potentially some new material planned for sooner rather than later, and so many other plans afoot, I suspect this is just another fresh start for Sparks. It’s truly an honour to be their partners and we are excited for all that’s to come.”
PHOTO: Munachi-Osegbu
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