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IN REVIEW
PET SHOP BOYS
'NONETHELESS'
Reviewer: David Weddle
With a career spanning over five decades and a list of hits as long as your arm, you would be forgiven for thinking that synth-pop pioneers Pet Shop Boys may be thinking about taking it easy, and in fairness, who could blame them? However, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have recorded their 15th studio album, 'Nonetheless'. The ten track album has already seen success with singles 'Lonlieness' and 'Dancing Star'.
Pet Shop Boys have worked hard to create something pretty special for their fans, and they have certainly achieved that with 'Nonetheless'. It feels very much like a look at the human condition through the eyes of Neil and Chris, whose path to their own present day is a rich tapestry of emotional upheaval and spectacular successes.
The album opens with the lead single 'Lonlieness', which is incredibly upbeat musically and with Neil's distinctive vocals against a beat that just makes you want to move, which makes it feel like an instant classic. There is something so familiar about it, and it is a great start to the album.
Pet Shop Boys have worked hard to create something pretty special for their fans, and they have certainly achieved that with 'Nonetheless'. It feels very much like a look at the human condition through the eyes of Neil and Chris, whose path to their own present day is a rich tapestry of emotional upheaval and spectacular successes.
The album opens with the lead single 'Lonlieness', which is incredibly upbeat musically and with Neil's distinctive vocals against a beat that just makes you want to move, which makes it feel like an instant classic. There is something so familiar about it, and it is a great start to the album.
Photography: Alasdair McLellan
There is a wide variety of tracks, from dance anthems like 'Why Am I Dancing' and 'Bullet for Narcissus' that are pure Pet Shop Boys electro-synth pop at its very best to stunning ballads like 'A New Bohemia', which invokes something very emotive within. A stunning track that is one of my personal favourites.
Story telling is something I love to hear in music, and with 'New London Boy', Neil appears to tell the story of his early memories, including leaving his hometown in the North East to seek fame in the bright lights of London. He talks of finding the life and like-minded people he wanted while facing the negative experiences from bigotry, which was regularly inflicted on those who stood out from the crowd. The rap section was very reminiscent to me of 'West End Girls' which was a nice touch.
The album shows off just how good Pet Shop Boys truly are. Uplifting, joyful and expressive, their song-writing and performance are as strong as ever, and their lived experiences add an extra layer to their songs that you simply can't fake.
Great work.
Story telling is something I love to hear in music, and with 'New London Boy', Neil appears to tell the story of his early memories, including leaving his hometown in the North East to seek fame in the bright lights of London. He talks of finding the life and like-minded people he wanted while facing the negative experiences from bigotry, which was regularly inflicted on those who stood out from the crowd. The rap section was very reminiscent to me of 'West End Girls' which was a nice touch.
The album shows off just how good Pet Shop Boys truly are. Uplifting, joyful and expressive, their song-writing and performance are as strong as ever, and their lived experiences add an extra layer to their songs that you simply can't fake.
Great work.
The video for Loneliness was directed by renowned photographer/director Alasdair
McLellan.
McLellan.
Formats and tracklisting
PET SHOP BOYS ‘Nonetheless’.
‘Nonetheless’ features 10 brand new tracks, recorded and mixed in London last year,
primarily at James Ford’s studio in East London. The orchestra and backing vocals
were recorded at The Church studio in North London. The track listing is:
LONELINESS
FEEL
WHY AM I DANCING?
NEW LONDON BOY
DANCING STAR
A NEW BOHEMIA
THE SCHLAGER HIT PARADE
THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS
BULLET FOR NARCISSUS
LOVE IS THE LAW
FORMATS -
CD
Standard CD – 10-track album in gatefold soft-pack, with a 12-page booklet.
Deluxe 2CD set – 10-track album + bonus four-track EP, ‘Furthermore’, packaged in
a card wallet housing two inner card wallets with two CDs and a 12-page booklet.
The four bonus tracks are completely new recordings of ‘Heart’, ‘Being boring’,
‘Always on my mind’ and ‘It’s a sin’.
VINYL
Standard black vinyl.
Amazon – clear vinyl.
HMV/Indies – grey vinyl.
D2C exclusive – deluxe double white vinyl + bonus four-track EP ‘Furthermore’ in a
gatefold sleeve.
CASSETTE
BRIT awards and Grammy nominations have been numerous, including in 2009
when Pet Shop Boys won the BRIT for outstanding contribution to music; in 2000 Pet
Shop Boys’ song-writing was rewarded with the Ivor Novello award for Outstanding
Contribution to British Music - with over 70 hit singles spanning five decades, song-
writing remains resolutely at the core of Pet Shop Boys’ continuing relevance and
success.
PSB’s last three albums, recorded with producer Stuart Price, coincided with
extended bouts of touring which saw the group headline Glastonbury for the third
time, as well as headlining other major music festivals across the world. The duo
also toured the US in 2022 in the co-headlining ‘Unity’ tour with New Order, which
saw them selling out arenas including Madison Square Garden in New York and the
Hollywood Bowl in LA. PSB finished that year headlining Edinburgh’s iconic
Hogmanay show. More dates for the Dreamworld tour have already been announced
for 2024, including a headline slot at the Isle of Wight Festival this summer.
LONELINESS
2x digital bundles available from today, Jan 31. Track listings:
ALL DSP’S except Amazon and Apple Music:
Loneliness (radio edit)
Loneliness (album version)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)
Amazon and Apple Music only:
Loneliness (radio edit)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)
CD SINGLE (released Feb 16)
Loneliness (radio edit)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)
‘Nonetheless’ features 10 brand new tracks, recorded and mixed in London last year,
primarily at James Ford’s studio in East London. The orchestra and backing vocals
were recorded at The Church studio in North London. The track listing is:
LONELINESS
FEEL
WHY AM I DANCING?
NEW LONDON BOY
DANCING STAR
A NEW BOHEMIA
THE SCHLAGER HIT PARADE
THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS
BULLET FOR NARCISSUS
LOVE IS THE LAW
FORMATS -
CD
Standard CD – 10-track album in gatefold soft-pack, with a 12-page booklet.
Deluxe 2CD set – 10-track album + bonus four-track EP, ‘Furthermore’, packaged in
a card wallet housing two inner card wallets with two CDs and a 12-page booklet.
The four bonus tracks are completely new recordings of ‘Heart’, ‘Being boring’,
‘Always on my mind’ and ‘It’s a sin’.
VINYL
Standard black vinyl.
Amazon – clear vinyl.
HMV/Indies – grey vinyl.
D2C exclusive – deluxe double white vinyl + bonus four-track EP ‘Furthermore’ in a
gatefold sleeve.
CASSETTE
BRIT awards and Grammy nominations have been numerous, including in 2009
when Pet Shop Boys won the BRIT for outstanding contribution to music; in 2000 Pet
Shop Boys’ song-writing was rewarded with the Ivor Novello award for Outstanding
Contribution to British Music - with over 70 hit singles spanning five decades, song-
writing remains resolutely at the core of Pet Shop Boys’ continuing relevance and
success.
PSB’s last three albums, recorded with producer Stuart Price, coincided with
extended bouts of touring which saw the group headline Glastonbury for the third
time, as well as headlining other major music festivals across the world. The duo
also toured the US in 2022 in the co-headlining ‘Unity’ tour with New Order, which
saw them selling out arenas including Madison Square Garden in New York and the
Hollywood Bowl in LA. PSB finished that year headlining Edinburgh’s iconic
Hogmanay show. More dates for the Dreamworld tour have already been announced
for 2024, including a headline slot at the Isle of Wight Festival this summer.
LONELINESS
2x digital bundles available from today, Jan 31. Track listings:
ALL DSP’S except Amazon and Apple Music:
Loneliness (radio edit)
Loneliness (album version)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)
Amazon and Apple Music only:
Loneliness (radio edit)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)
CD SINGLE (released Feb 16)
Loneliness (radio edit)
Party in the Blitz
Through you (extended mix)