Pet Shop Boys announce new album and debut first single

The Pet Shop Boys debut Loneliness, the first single lifted from their new album, Nonetheless, released in April

The Pet Shop Boys have revealed that their new album, Nonetheless, will be released through Parlophone Records on 26 April.

Talking with Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 this morning [31 January], Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant also announced that they will be playing five shows at London’s Royal Opera House in July and premiered their new single Loneliness.

Described as “uplifting music with reflective lyrics” – Loneliness will be released as a CD single on 16 February and is available to download now here.

Ten new tracks

The album is the duo’s first with producer James Ford, who has previously worked with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur, Gorillaz and Simian Mobile Disco.

Nonetheless can be pre-ordered now and will give access to priority tickets for a very special run of five PSB shows at London’s Royal Opera House from 23-27 July .

In 2016 Pet Shop Boys became the first electronic group to play the venue with a four performance run that was so well received they returned there in 2018 for further sold-out shows.

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

Both uplifting and reflective, the album mixes electronics, live instruments and orchestral arrangements. The songs are very melodic and quintessentially Pet Shop Boys with a fresh and open sound.

In a statement Pet Shop Boys spoke about the creative process around the record: “We wanted this album to be a celebration of the unique and diverse emotions that make us human. From the more dance-orientated tracks to the raw poignancy of the introspective ballads, with their beautiful string arrangements, each track tells a story and contributes to the overall narrative of the album.”

Reflective record

The album follows their latest trilogy of studio albums – Electric (2013), Super (2016) and Hotspot (2020) – recorded with producer Stuart Price.

Pet Shop Boys said today: “We’re very excited to release this new album. Its 10 tracks are the strongest indicators of where we are today. Like much of our music it’s very reflective. It was great to work with James Ford, who we think has brought new elements to our music.

“Our demos are sometimes quite complicated, and James has dared to make us a bit more minimal at times – but also, the string arrangements are very beautiful. Some of the record is quite heart-breaking, but we hope a lot of it is also uplifting. It’s a record we’re very proud of.”

Read our career-spanning exclusive 2023 interview

The album will be released in a variety of formats, including digitally, and physically on CD and multiple variants of coloured vinyl. The 2CD and double white vinyl editions will include a four-track EP titled Furthermore with new recordings of Heart, Being Boring, Always On My Mind and It’s A Sin.

Special screenings

In further PSB news, the pair revealed a special cinema release of Pet Shop Boys Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live at the Royal Arena Copenhagen. Hitting screens for an exclusive two-night event later today (31 January) and Sunday February 4, the film captures the duo live at the Royal Arena in the Danish capital last summer. Tickets are available here

Pre-sale access to purchase Royal Opera House tickets will be available by pre-ordering Nonetheless albums and bundles from the official Pet Shop Boys UK/EU store. For full details click here

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