Electropop duo Pet Shop Boys to drop their latest 10-track album 'Hotspot' this weekend
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synthpop duo comprising members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe who have firmly established themselves in popular culture as one of the most commercially (and critically) successful groups of the last 40 years with over 50 million albums sold thus far — a testament to their witty, dance-worthy hit tunes.
Known for their social and political commentary as much as their melodic and romantic electropop, the Pet Shop Boys are hard to pin down in just one category, making a career out of defying expectations and musical norms with their irreverent, ironic, typically British sense of humor.
In 1999, they were listed by The Guinness Book of Records as the most successful duo in UK music history — with more than 40 hit singles to boast of, that's a hit for every single year that they've been active.
Apart from this achievement, the duo is also three-time Brit Award winners and eight-time Grammy nominees. Check out their smash hit 'West End Girls' here.
It was announced in November 2019 that the talented Pet Shop Boys would be releasing their 14th studio album called 'Hotspot', and it promises to be yet another synthpop masterpiece from one of the best artistes to ever grace the genre.
All you need to know about the new album
When is it releasing?
The new album 'Hotspot' will be releasing on January 24, 2020, on the band's own music label x2, through Kobalt Label Services.
Who will be on it?
Longtime members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will be on this new 'Hotspot' record. We already know that the electropop band Years & Years will be on it, since they appeared on 'Dreamland', the first single to be announced off the upcoming album.
We also know that ex-Suede member Bernard Butler will be on it, having contributed to 'Burning the Heather', the second single to be announced off the new album. Longtime producer Stuart Price will be resuming production duties, having worked on their previous two albums.
What was done before this?
The Pet Shop Boys have released a whopping 13 studio albums in the past, starting with 'Please' in 1986 and more recently, the albums 'Electric' in 2013 and 'Super' in 2016. Their live album 'Inner Sanctum' from their four-day 2018 residency at the Royal Opera House in London is also worth a listen.
How will it sound?
We currently have access to three singles that were released off the forthcoming record — 'Dreamland', 'Burning the Heather' and 'Monkey Business'. So we can expect more of their familiar brand of peppy electropop, albeit slightly more mature and nostalgic in nature.
Where can I listen to it?
You can preorder the 'Hotspot' album here in a variety of formats. You can also listen to it once it releases on January 24 on conventional streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, etc.