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Pet Shop Boys start a busy 2024 by announcing the forthcoming release of a brand-new, 10-track studio album, ‘Nonetheless’, on Parlophone Records on April 26 and five special performances at London’s Royal Opera House in July.

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.

The single ‘Loneliness’, which PSB describe as ‘uplifting music with reflective lyrics’ – is available digitally now and will be released as a CD single on Feb 16.

The album can now be pre-ordered, giving access to priority tickets for a special run of five PSB shows at London’s Royal Opera House from July 23 – 27. In 2016, Pet Shop Boys became the first electronic group to play the venue with a four-performance run that was so rapturously received they returned there in 2018 for further sold-out shows garnering even greater acclaim than before.

‘Nonetheless’ features ten 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

The music on ‘Nonetheless’ is both uplifting and reflective, mixing electronics, live instruments and orchestral arrangements. The songs are very melodic and quintessentially Pet Shop Boys with a fresh, open sound, bringing together classic strands of PSB songwriting and moving them in new directions.

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 album’s overall narrative.”

Notably energised and driven by the huge resurgence spawned by their last trilogy of studio albums and the ongoing success of their ‘Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live’ tour, ‘Nonetheless’ is the sound of a group at a new peak of their remarkably consistent creative power.

Having sold over 50 million records, Pet Shop Boys is easily the most successful UK duo of all time. They have forged a singular path since their first Number 1 single, ‘West End Girls’. Such is the strength of their catalogue that in June 2020, The Guardian reported that ‘West End Girls’ had been voted the greatest Number 1 single ever in the UK: “36 years on, their debut single still pulses with that beguiling ambiguity – perfect pop equilibrium that almost made Dusty Springfield crash her car the first time she heard it.”

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 and headlining other major music festivals worldwide. 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)

Renowned photographer/director Alasdair McLellan directed the video for Loneliness.

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

JULY 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.

For ticket details, see petshopboys.co.uk and roh.org.uk

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.”

Parlophone Managing Director Jennifer Ivory added: “Pet Shop Boys and Parlophone enjoyed an incredibly successful and creative partnership which spanned almost 30 years, so it feels amazing to have them back with us. One of the most innovative and inventive acts to come out of the UK, their new music continues to evolve and push boundaries while they continue to blaze their own trail. We couldn’t be happier to be working with them again on this new and exciting stage of their career. Parlophone is overwhelmingly proud to welcome Neil and Chris back home!”.

In a special cinema release in partnership with Trafalgar Releasing, ‘Pet Shop Boys Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live at the Royal Arena Copenhagen’ is coming to screens worldwide for an exclusive two-night event later today (Jan 31) and Sunday, February 4, showcasing Pet Shop Boys’ electrifying tour captured at the Royal Arena in the Danish capital last summer. Tickets are available now via psbdreamworldlivefilm.com.