Pet Shop Boys Release New Album “Nonetheless,” Defying Age and Trends

Embarking on a musical journey filled with AI-generated press releases, adapting to changing fan behaviors, and home-cooked chicken Kiev, the renowned British duo, Pet Shop Boys, are back in the business of captivating hearts with the release of their new album.

“Nonetheless,” their 15th studio production, lands on the music landscape this Friday, a remarkable four decades and a whopping fifty million record sales following their breakthrough with the chart-topping single, “West End Girls.” In the ever-evolving world of music, bands boasting such longevity often face the clichéd question of remaining relevant but for this dynamic duo, it’s more about staying true to their unique style than chasing fleeting trends.

Observing the often misguided pursuit of coolness, Tennant shared his perspective, “A lot of people endeavor to achieve ‘cool’, which ultimately becomes uncool since it reeks of trying too hard. We, on the other hand, have always preferred to follow our instincts.”

Lowe echoed his bandmate’s sentiments while adding a dash of humor, “We’ll always be relevant — in our world, at least.”

A testament to this inherent relevance? The past year witnessed their iconic hits turning into plot movers in two popular movies. The cult films featured a delightful karaoke scene in “Saltburn” with “Rent” and a memorable Christmas scene in “All of Us Strangers,” with “Always on My Mind” providing the perfect soundtrack.

However, not all memories of their cinematic experiences are pleasant as Tennant quipped about the stereotypical usage of their hit, “It’s a Sin,” in portraying a young man’s first tryst with the happening scenes of a gay club.

Despite the gloom of the coronavirus pandemic lingering over its creation, the album maintains an upbeat theme. Tennant lauded the calm and tranquility it brought to their lives, finding the period to be a productive one freed from the pressures of touring. His comment on the optimism exuding from the tracks was both candid and endearing, alluding to the deviation from their usually chaotic life and the singular aim of not catching the virus.

The album’s first single, “Loneliness,” addresses the pandemic-imposed social isolation but spins it into a positive light. Tennant further illustrated the lockdown theme with another track, “Why Am I Dancing?”, a sardonic yet genuine reaction to the surprisingly enjoyable solitude. A moment of camaraderie is shared when Tennant discloses his penchant for cooking and dancing simultaneously, drawing a hearty chuckle from Lowe who, rightfully so, dubs it a worthy podcast idea.

Despite immense transformations in the music industry, the duo has ridden the tide with admirable grace and philosophy, confessing that regardless of the mode of consumption, “music is still music.”

Though the duo appreciates the range of music Spotify offers, both Lowe and Tennant voiced their disdain for the app’s puerile recommendations. “Spotify’s algorithm seems to paint everyone with the same broad brush. Its recommendations lack nuance and understanding of musical taste and preference, reducing everything to basic categorizations,” says Tennant. From misinterpreting musical era preferences to inexplicably linking personal life choices to musical taste, their gripes with the platform’s ‘intelligence’ are both amusing and justified.

Excited fans can expect a series of performances at London’s Royal Opera House in July, but the duo has a small request: refrain from charging the stage for a selfie. Tennant expressed his distaste for such intrusions quite clearly, even though they do find some utility from the prevalence of smartphones at concerts. The sight of a sea of mobile phones held aloft during the performance has replaced the old tradition of cigarette lighters and, in Tennant’s words, looks “Quite gorgeous, really quite moving.”

While artificial intelligence is making waves across industries, this seasoned pair doesn’t have any immediate plans of infusing AI into their music. However, when tasked with producing a quote about the album for a press release, they did make use of the AI tool, ChatGPT. Impressed by its earnest and astoundingly accurate description of the album, Tennant admitted, “It’s a great quote. We found ourselves agreeing with it. It granted an apt description where we’d normally resort to some quip, and it surprised us.”