Since the late 2010s,
Sparks
have been on an upswing. With 2017's
Hippopotamus
and 2020's
A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
in particular, they proved their hooks and lyrics were as sharp as ever, and with the 2021 releases of
Edgar Wright
's documentary
The Sparks Brothers
and
Annette
, the award-winning film
Ron
Russell Mael
made with director
Leos Carax
, this renewed attention reached a crescendo. That these films brought the long-standing, singular brilliance of
' music to a wider audience is noteworthy, especially since there's something distinctly cinematic about the sounds and storytelling of
The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
. The respect for movie magic the Mael brothers have had since growing up in Los Angeles can be felt throughout: "The Mona Lisa's Packing, Leaving Late" surrounds its tale of La Gioconda -- one of several mysterious women with hidden depths of feeling on
Latte
-- with layers of brass, guitars, and vocals arranged with the flash of a
Busby Berkeley
musical number. "You Were Meant for Me" is a buzzy, synth pop rom-com that hinges on a sweater getting caught on a shopping cart, and the standout "Take Me for a Ride" is a symphonic rock thriller that even offers a shocking twist near the end. The album harks back to
's trenchant social commentary with "The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte," which ponders the mysteries of everyday suffering in a breezy yet deep fashion that's quintessentially
. More often, though, the Mael brothers address the human condition in more timeless terms -- on the sprightly power pop of "Nothing Is as Good as They Say It Is," a newborn baby wants to go back to the womb, or at least to the South of France -- or with a fascinatingly anachronistic mix of sounds, slang, and pop culture references. Another highlight, "Veronica Lake," uses rushing electronics to evoke a relentless assembly line as it muses on how the star sacrificed her famous peekaboo hairdo to protect the women sporting similar styles while working in World War II factories. On "We Go Dancing," squalling brass and
's mannered vocals paint a picture of powdered wig-sporting aristocrats cutting a rug to the sounds of a DJ who outshines
Skrillex
or
Diplo
. The fresh ways
touch on all of this history, musical and otherwise, makes it all the more fitting that they released this album on
Island
, the label that issued their classic
Kimono My House
. In its own way,
is also classic
. Only
could have made this album, and while they've always done what they needed and wanted to do as artists, it's extra satisfying that this peak in their popularity coincides with music this vibrantly engaging. ~ Heather Phares