Turbo-charged melancholy is hardly a new mood for Pet Shop Boys. Who else could have written “It’s a Sin” – a dark dancefloor odyssey that doubled as a mournful rumination on Catholic guilt? But even by past standards, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s 15th album is a wistful affair — which is no great surprise considering it was largely written during the haunted stillness of lockdown.
Unfortunately, that ennui too often runs into lethargy on Nonetheless, a project bedevilled by the same inconsistency that has blighted the duo’s last several LPs. It’s a shame the quality control isn’t more rigorous because, when firing on all pistons, the album is a knockout. The pair are at their best on opener “Loneliness” – a Covid-era disco onslaught featuring gothic grooves and spare, unfussy production from Arctic Monkeys/The Last Dinner Party wingman James Ford (who oversees the entire record).
“New London Boy” exacerbates the sense we’re in for something special. This autobiographical ballad recalls Tennant’s formative experience on the London gay scene in the mid-70s –“Skinheads will mock you / Call you a f**” – before concluding with a nod towards his laconic rap on “West End Girls”. But these promising moments are undercut by an undercooked second half – as exemplified by the vapid orchestral pop of “A New Bohemia” and “Bullet for Narcissus”, which lands like a bloodless remake of their 1988 smash “Left to My Own Devices”.
With the 40th anniversary of “West End Girls” arriving next year, the Pet Shop Boys have nothing to prove. They are one of British pop’s great institutions and among the finest ever exponents of the “sad banger”. They’ve also continued to push forward as songwriters, releasing new music at regular intervals where they could easily morph into a heritage act dining out on old glories. Good on them for refusing to become musical relics. It’s just disappointing that, after a positive start, Nonetheless becomes a listless Euro-pop pudding.
Stream: “Loneliness”, “New London Boy”