​Pet Shop Boys announce next studio album, ‘Nonetheless’

Pet Shop Boys are making their return this spring with the release of their fifteenth studio record, titled ‘Nonetheless’.

The next album comes four years on from the release of their last - 2020’s ‘Hotspot’ - featuring 10 new tracks, including the newly unveiled lead single, ‘Loneliness’. Check it out below.

‘Nonetheless’ is due to arrive on April 26 via Parlophone and their own label, x2. The duo recorded the 10-tracker alongside Simian Mobile Disco member and Arctic Monkeys collaborator James Ford at his East London studio during lockdown.

Read this next: Pet Shop Boys CD becomes one of the most expensive ever sold on Discogs

Pet Shop Boys members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe said that Ford “dared to make us a bit more minimal at times”, adding that they’re proud of the “final result” of the record.

“We wanted this album to be a celebration of the unique and diverse emotions that make us human,” said the synth-pop duo in a press statement.

‘Nonetheless’ features both “dance-oriented” works alongside classic ballads, each track “telling a story and contributing to the overall narrative of the album”.

The wait between 2020’s ‘Hotspot’ and the duo’s next record is the longest gap in their discography so far, which spans five decades dating back to 1986 with the release of their debut album, 'Please'.

Read this next: Pet Shop Boys say Drake used 'West End Girls' chorus without permission

Speaking to radio presenter Zoe Ball on her BBC Breakfast show, the pair revealed that “every track has an orchestra and electronics on it”, and sounds more melodic than their previous three albums.

Pet Shop Boys are due to play five shows at the Royal Opera House this summer, strung to the end of their ‘Dreamworld’ 2024 tour in celebration of the new record’s release. Find out more about the tour here.

Pre-order 'Nonetheless' here, and check out the tracklist and artwork [by Tim Walker] below.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter

‘Nonetheless’ tracklist:

1. ‘Loneliness’
2. ‘Feel’
3. ‘Why Am I Dancing?’
4. ‘New London Boy’
5. ‘Dancing Star’
6. ‘A New Bohemia’
7. ‘The Schlager Hit Parade’
8. ‘The Secret Of Happiness’
9. ‘Bullet For Narcissus’
10. ‘Love Is The Law’