Sparky Bosque
Suffering From Happiness
Once described by BBC Introducing as having "a lovely Elliott Smith vibe", the sound of Sparky Bosque's fourth LP, Suffering From Happiness, sticks vehemently to what has been before; this isn't a postmodern prog rock album.
Indeed, The Real Gone Singles Bar said the third track, When You're Around, is like "one of the finest early 90s pre-Britpop jams has been dug out of the archives, despite being recorded in 2025". High praise indeed. Perhaps you'll disagree.
As its title implies, the mute line between sadness and happiness found in Sparky's previous work is also apparent here – as are lyrics that bow under the weight of irony and may or may not obscure something more profound beneath the surface.
In all likelihood, you won't hear another album this year that uses imprisonment, drowning, and matriarchal social structures of bonobos as aural stepping stones.
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