Nonetheless

Last updated

Nonetheless
Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless.png
Studio album by
Released26 April 2024 (2024-04-26)
Length43:53
Label
Producer James Ford
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Smash: The Singles 1985–2020
(2023)
Nonetheless
(2024)
Singles from Nonetheless
  1. "Loneliness"
    Released: 31 January 2024
  2. "Dancing Star"
    Released: 5 April 2024 [1]

Nonetheless is the fifteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 26 April 2024 through the band's own label x2 and Parlophone. It was produced by James Ford and mostly recorded at his East London studio. [2] The band's first album for Parlophone since Elysium in 2012, its four-year gap with Hotspot (2020) marks their longest period between studio albums to date. It was preceded by the single "Loneliness", released alongside the album announcement. [3]

Contents

Background

In a statement, Pet Shop Boys expressed that they wanted the album, both its dance tracks and ballads, "to be a celebration of the unique and diverse emotions that make us human", and called the 10 tracks "the strongest indicators of where we are today". They also expressed that producer James Ford had "dared" them to make their "sometimes quite complicated" demos more minimal in arrangement. [4] Singer Neil Tennant also shared that "every track has an orchestra on it [...] with electronics". [5]

Release

The album was released on 26 April 2024 in a variety of formats, including digitally, and physically on CD and multiple variants of coloured vinyl. The 2-CD and double white vinyl editions include a four-track EP titled Furthermore, featuring new recordings of "Heart", "Being Boring", "Always on My Mind" and "It's a Sin". [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [7]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [9]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Nonetheless received a score of 81 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on ten critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "universal acclaim". [6] Victoria Segal of Mojo wrote that the album "shows the duo pulling themselves up to full songwriting height, not just forging on, but flourishing". [10] Mat Smith of Clash called Nonetheless "an utterly brilliant, dependably polished listen" and one of "the best moments" by the duo. [7] Reviewing the album for NME , Gary Ryan described it as "peppered with richly-drawn characters, and esoteric cultural references" and a "lush, impressive collection that upholds their status as pop greats". [12]

The Independent 's Helen Brown felt that the album "maintains the band's strict quality control without any notable change in sonic style" but "proves that the Pets have still got the brains, still got the hooks". [8] John Murphy of MusicOMH said that it "both sounds very like Pet Shop Boys while also managing to grow and evolve their sound" and observed "a huge streak of melancholy and reflection running through the record". [11] Simon Heavisides of The Line of Best Fit concluded that Nonetheless "feels airy and welcoming" unlike the Pet Shop Boys' recent albums and "resonates emotionally in ways that befit elder statesmen who can look to the future while comfortably acknowledging the past". [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant.

Nonetheless track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Loneliness"5:37
2."Feel"5:02
3."Why Am I Dancing?"3:33
4."New London Boy"4:53
5."Dancing Star"3:02
6."A New Bohemia"4:01
7."The Schlager Hit Parade"3:29
8."The Secret of Happiness"5:25
9."Bullet for Narcissus"3:51
10."Love Is the Law"5:00
Total length:43:53

Personnel

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

Technical

Related Research Articles

<i>Very</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1993 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Very is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 27 September 1993 by Parlophone, nearly three years after the duo's previous studio album, Behaviour, and following the compilation album Discography: The Complete Singles Collection. Very exhibits one of many turning points the Pet Shop Boys would make to their music, shifting from the subdued electronic pop of Behaviour to richly instrumented dance arrangements. The content and lyrics led to Very being called their "coming-out" album, since it was during this time that Neil Tennant had publicly discussed his long-rumoured homosexuality.

<i>Bilingual</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Bilingual is the sixth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in the United Kingdom on 2 September 1996 by Parlophone and in the United States on 10 September 1996 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, lower than their previous five studio albums which had all reached the top three. It yielded five successful singles, with three of them—"Before", "Se a vida é " and "A Red Letter Day"—reaching the UK top 10; the fourth one, the English/Spanish-language composition "Single-Bilingual", peaked within the top 20.

<i>Nightlife</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1999 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Nightlife is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 1999 by Parlophone. After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual (1996), Pet Shop Boys started work with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the stage musical that eventually became Closer to Heaven. Pet Shop Boys soon had an album's worth of tracks and decided to release the album Nightlife as a concept album and in order to showcase some of the songs that would eventually make it into the musical.

<i>Alternative</i> (album) 1995 compilation album by Pet Shop Boys

Alternative is a compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 7 August 1995 by Parlophone.

<i>Introspective</i> 1988 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Introspective is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

<i>Behaviour</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1990 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Behaviour is the fourth studio album by the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 22 October 1990 by Parlophone. A Japanese special edition included a bonus mini CD, exclusive artwork and printed lyrics in a white velvet-like box.

<i>Disco 3</i> 2003 remix album by Pet Shop Boys

Disco 3 is the third remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 3 February 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of five remixes of songs and B-sides from their previous album, Release, three new tracks, a new recording of "Positive Role Model" from their 2001 musical Closer to Heaven, and a cover version of "Try It ", originally by Oh Romeo, the band of former Pet Shop Boys producer Bobby Orlando. "Positive Role Model" also appeared on the Germany-only single "London" in 2002 as a B-side.

<i>Unforgettable... with Love</i> 1991 studio album by Natalie Cole

Unforgettable … with Love, also known as simply Unforgettable, is the twelfth studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on June 11, 1991, the album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. It was also her debut for Elektra Records, after being given her release from EMI Records.

<i>Fundamental</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 2006 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Fundamental is the ninth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released in May 2006 in the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and Canada. It was released in late June 2006 in the United States. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number five on 28 May 2006. In the US the album peaked at number 150 selling 7,500 copies in its first week. As of April 2009 it had sold 46,000 copies in the US and 66,000 copies in the UK. Fundamental earned two Grammy nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording with "I'm with Stupid".

<i>Apple Box</i> 2005 box set by XTC

Apple Box is a box set by XTC compiling Apple Venus Volume 1 and Wasp Star along with their respective demo albums Homespun and Homegrown. It is the third box set of their career following Transistor Blast: The Best of the BBC Sessions and Coat of Many Cupboards, released by Idea Records.

<i>Disco 4</i> 2007 remix album by Pet Shop Boys

Disco 4 is the fourth remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 2007 by Parlophone on CD and vinyl. It was not made available as a digital download, due to licensing difficulties for each track.

<i>Waiting for a Want</i> 2004 EP by Rufus Wainwright

Waiting for a Want is the first EP by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released through DreamWorks Records electronically on June 29, 2004. At the time it was released, the collection previewed Wainwright's forthcoming album, Want Two. Initially planned to be released shortly after Want One, after plans of a double album fell through, the purchase of DreamWorks by Interscope delayed the release of Want Two. The EP provided listeners with new material during this period. Admitting that he wanted to release "a couple of ditties" before the United States presidential election of 2004, Wainwright described the collection as "some of the more daunting tracks, the operatic, weird stuff, some heavy numbers that relate to my classical sensibilities".

<i>Yes</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 2009 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Yes is the tenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 18 March 2009 by Parlophone. The album was recorded throughout 2008 and was produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania. Xenomania also co-wrote three of the tracks. Guitarist Johnny Marr and string arranger Owen Pallett appear as well. "Love Etc." was released on 16 March 2009 as the album's lead single.

<i>The Most Incredible Thing</i> (album) 2011 soundtrack album by Tennant/Lowe

The Most Incredible Thing is the score for the 2011 ballet of the same name, based on the eponymous 1870 fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It contains music written and performed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The album was released on 14 March 2011 by Parlophone.

<i>Format</i> (album) 2012 compilation album by Pet Shop Boys

Format is a double-disc compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. The album consists of B-sides from various singles released from 1996 to 2009. It is their second B-sides album after Alternative (1995), which collected B-sides from the time of their first version of "Opportunities " (1985) to "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" (1994).

<i>Elysium</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 2012 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Elysium is the eleventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Released on 5 September 2012, it is the duo's final album with Parlophone. The album was recorded in 2012 in Los Angeles and produced by Andrew Dawson and Pet Shop Boys.

<i>Come Tomorrow</i> (album) Album by Dave Matthews Band

Come Tomorrow is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Dave Matthews Band, and was released on June 8, 2018. The album is their first since 2012's Away from the World.

<i>3 (The Purple Album)</i> 2018 studio album by Lukas Graham

3 (The Purple Album) is the third studio album by Danish band Lukas Graham. It was released on 26 October 2018 by Copenhagen Records, Then We Take the World and Warner Bros. Records. The album features songs about "growing up and moving on". The band toured in support of the album in 2019. The album debuted at number one in Denmark while on the singles chart, "Love Someone" stayed atop for an eighth week, "Not a Damn Thing Changed" rose back up to number two and the other eight album tracks also entered.

<i>Legend</i> (John Legend album) 2022 studio album by John Legend

Legend is the ninth studio album by American singer John Legend. It was released on September 9, 2022, through John Legend Music Inc. and Republic Records.

<i>Where the Light Goes</i> 2023 studio album by Matchbox Twenty

Where the Light Goes is the fifth studio album by American rock band Matchbox Twenty, released on May 26, 2023, by Atlantic Records. On March 17, 2023, the band released the first single from the album, "Wild Dogs ". The album debuted at number 53 on the US Billboard 200 with 13,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

References

  1. Sinclair, Paul (3 April 2024). "Hear Pet Shop Boys new single 'Dancing Star'". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. Murray, Robin (31 January 2024). "Pet Shop Boys Announce New Album Nonetheless". Clash . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  3. Turner, Luke (31 January 2024). "Pet Shop Boys Unveil New Single". The Quietus . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  4. Kelly, Tyler Damara (31 January 2024). "Pet Shop Boys announce forthcoming James Ford-produced album, Nonetheless". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 Sinclair, Paul (31 January 2024). "Pet Shop Boys / New album Nonetheless". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Nonetheless by Pet Shop Boys Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Mat (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys – Nonetheless | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  8. 1 2 Brown, Helen (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys, Nonetheless review: The duo's canny cultural commentary is always right on the money". The Independent . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  9. 1 2 Heavisides, Simon (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys: Nonetheless Review – future facing". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  10. 1 2 Segal, Victoria (26 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys Nonetheless Review: Arch-archbishops carry on regardless". Mojo . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  11. 1 2 Murphy, John (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys – Nonetheless | Album Reviews". MusicOMH . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 Ryan, Gary (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys – Nonetheless review: still setting pop's benchmark". NME . Retrieved 27 April 2024.