Pet Shop Boys
Hotspot
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I can’t believe that it has been thirty-five years since I first heard Pet Shop Boys’ debut single “West End Girls.” The freedom I felt dancing around to that song in the living room as my younger brother watched on, was beyond liberating. Fast forward to 2020 and with the release of the band’s fourteenth studio album Hotspot, I find myself yet again, dancing (solo) around to music that sounds as fresh as ever and is essentially nothing short of brilliant.
Listening to recent interviews with the band, they described how this album, the final installment in a trilogy, had come to be known as “The Berlin Album.” Legendary producer Stuart Price who produced the previous two albums, Electric (2013) and Super (2016), joined the duo in crafting a somewhat different feel to this album. Neil Tennant, the band’s lead vocalist noted that this album has a much more analogue feel to it as opposed to Electric’s dance vibe and Super’s pop feel.
Continuing with the Berlin vibe, most of the album was recorded in the duo’s Berlin digs, Hansa Studios, with the exception of “Burning The Heather” featuring ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. The album’s opening track, “Wil-O-The-Wisp” tells the story of a guy sitting on the U-Bahn (Berlin underground) who notices somebody he used to have an affair with. The track features sounds from the U-Bahn which the band recorded live when travelling on the infamous party line.
The album’s second track “You Are The One” is a beautiful homage to sunny summer afternoons in Berlin. Think: lounging around Berlin’s many lakes, swimming and soaking in the sun, something most don’t associate with the city. “Wedding In Berlin,” a thumping dance track complete with wedding theme samples, rounds out the über German inspired tracks with a subtle nod to marriage equality.
Hotspot doesn’t fail when it comes to classic Pet Shop Boys fare with tracks like “Happy People” encased in a classic ‘90s club anthem-like sound. Featuring Years & Years, the disco number “Dreamland” opens with a sound reminiscent of Rozalla’s “Everybody’s Free,” but comes off as a protest song having a subtle jab at the recent Brexit mess. Yes, Tennant and Lowe are still making incredible music with equally important messages placed firmly within the songs.
With over 50 million albums sold to date, it would not surprise me if this figure spikes significantly with Hotspot. The album’s third and latest single “Monkey Business” is a delicious nod to the past set in the duo’s signature pop synth style coupled with a layer of disco that will be sure to fill the emptiest of dance floors. All tracks were written by Tennant and Lowe with the exception of “Dreamland” (the duo were joined by Years & Years’ Olly Alexander) and this consistency comes through with the messages they aim to deliver, whether it be social or political in focus.
This album has an uncanny knack for somehow remaining quintessentially Pet Shop Boys and yet also coming off as fresh, relevant and now. Maybe Peter Allen was right when he sang “everything old is new again.” Tennant channels his inner ‘80s Madonna on “I Don’t Wanna” and even though it’s not groundbreaking stuff, it completely works. The striking ballads, “Only The Dark,” an ode to a night filled with love and then the heartbreaking “Burning The Heather,” the story of a lonely man walking away from his life, round out the 10-track album beautifully.
With so many new artists popping up on the scene daily, it is refreshing to see our elder statesmen delivering music that remains true to their core, but still finding a freshness in the most organic, unforced way. Hotspot not only confirms that Pet Shop Boys are legendary, but it reiterates that quality music, no matter the year, decade or century, will always prevail.
Always.
Notable Tracks: "Happy People" | “Monkey Business” | "Only The Dark" | “You Are The One”
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