In May 2015, Beach House announced their fifth studio album Depression Cherry (2015), along with its accompanying tour dates; "Sparks" appeared as the second track.

[1][2] On June 26, 2015, Beach House announced on Twitter that they would play "Sparks" on SiriusXMU on July 1, adding that it would be the lead single from the album.

"[4] "Sparks" was recorded at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana, along with the rest of Depression Cherry.

[5] Lead vocalist Victoria Legrand, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, said that the song "happened" because of a "wild" sound from a keyboard the duo bought in Texas in between recording sessions of their fourth studio album Bloom (2012).

[15] Chosen as "Best New Track", Eric Torres of Pitchfork described the song as "a distilled version of the devotionals with which Beach House first found their footing, pulling from the past while looking resolutely into the future.