"Porcupine"

8 September 2025

4 mins

Porcupine

'Porcupine' by Sparks was too gonzo for Ron and Russell Mael's twenty-sixth studio album, 'Mad!' It's wound up on the 'Madder!' EP instead, and it's ready to worm its way into your ear and never come out. Anchored by a synth riff that screams psychedelic fairground ride, the song matches the eponymous donah: "Unapologetic in her style/But she grows on you, it takes a while."

If you're brothers in a Fred Rowson-directed music video, however, Self Esteem will drive a steam roller towards you à la 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'. It's the three-hander you never knew you needed, with the Maels matched well by Rebecca Lucy Taylor and her trenchcoat. If Sparks seem a bit flat next time they're on stage, you know who to blame.

UK

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