The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte

Sparks - The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
Critic Score
Based on 17 reviews
2023 Ratings: #69 / 757
User Score
Based on 332 ratings
2023 Rank: #976
Liked by 24 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Record Collector
The whole album is a strange and wonderful technicolour melange that brilliantly embodies the dreamlike and surreal world of Sparks, all produced by themselves these days, of course.
100
The Observer
Overflowing with delicious melodies and lyrics to match, the Mael brothers’ 26th album is all hits, no misses.
90
Spill Magazine

The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is a fantastic album. As is the norm with Sparks, the album is full of different styles and different sounds. With The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte they have created a masterpiece.

90
Under the Radar

The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is another funny, sad, clever, stupid, artful, basic, beautiful journey into Sparks’ peculiarly well-crafted universe, resistant to external gridding, and a spectacular example of one of music’s most beguiling and bewildering bands. You’d be a fool to think they’re being serious, but even more so if you think it’s a joke.

90
American Songwriter
Six of 14 tracks add a full band enhancing Ron’s multiple, overdubbed, mostly electronic keyboards which keeps the sound fresh. But as usual, it’s the quirky songs and artful, casual, sometimes caffeinated presentation that makes Sparks’ music so refreshing in its own bespoke way.
80
musicOMH
The brothers Mael are incorporating new sounds and concepts, whilst still sounding exactly like themselves. They’re a band we should all embrace.
80
Classic Rock

The Mael brothers cement their autumnal resurgence with The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, a strong return to their former UK label.

80
Spectrum Culture
Over half a century Sparks have amassed a vast, uneven discography, but album 26 is one of their very best so far. There’s nobody else like the Mael brothers and we’re lucky to have them.
80
Mojo
Ron Mael's lyrics are elegiac, witty and forensically detailed; Russel Mael delivers them exquisitely and they specialise in ear worms.
80
Uncut
As always they are best when singing of brief encounters and regret.
80
The Line of Best Fit
Let’s be quite frank: if we’re not already crying into our lattes or other beverage of choice, then we probably should be, and let the soundtrack be Sparks.
80
NME
The art-pop purveyors continue their streak of delightful strange and imaginative vignettes with their 26th release.
80
AllMusic
Only Ron and Russell Mael 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.
79
Pitchfork
The Mael brothers are riding high. Their 26th album strikes the ideal Sparksian balance of madcap melody, labyrinthine arrangement, and stinging social satire.
70
Northern Transmissions
There’s a lot of emphasis on pop music when discussing Sparks, but it’s not out of the question to simply define their latest release as purely music, given the massive spread of instrumentation and influences. It’s music made by music lovers.
70
Clash
Far from dipping into past glories, the Mael brothers continue their storied run on a stylish, impactful record that illuminates their continued engagement with the wonder of the pop song.
70
The Irish Times
The LA duo’s 26th album follows their musical film Annette, but behind the pomp and theatrics and absurdity is a firm grounding in reality.
Szphi
35

The new Sparks album devoids originality, catchiness, and decent ideas.

JESUS! That was such a pain in the ass. I had never listened to a Sparks album, mostly because I didn't know they existed until this LP appeared on aoty's "New Releases" session. However, for them being a senior and respected duo, my expectations were slightly higher than low, and even so, I was sorely disappointed.

"The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte" is a work that pretends to be experimental, and ... read more

DJaycup
40

I think the girl is crying in her latte because she wasted 47 minutes of her life listening to this mediocre sh*t.

QueenOfDenmark
43

"Shoehorn: the Album". Sparks' 26th comprises exactly the wrong combination of uninventive, repetitive aural camp and relentlessly clumsy lyrical phrasing. The result is a tired, unfunny sound that grates something chronic. So few of the words are clever or grin-inducing; nearly every song is built on inane, uncomplicated loops. Yessir, all this album *really* succeeds in doing is making 47 minutes feel like a witless eternity. What a 'crying' shame.

*****

The Girl Is Crying in Her ... read more

65

'the girl is crying in her latte (bad)' type of shit a foreign language test would have

68

goofy and fun. like David Bowie doing a community theatre musical. love that they randomly have Cate Blanchett in their music video lmao.

doubt I'll revisit but I had a decent time

SamuelBeute
72

Favorites: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, Veronica Lake, It’s Sunny Today
Least Favorites: Gee, That Was Fun
Cover: 2/5

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Added on: January 24, 2023