After an astonishing four decades of consistent reinvention, Pet Shop Boys’ latest album Nonetheless finds them in an unusual but expected reflective mood. While their recent trilogy with Stuart Price maintained their contemporary edge, this James Ford-produced effort marks a deliberate pivot toward orchestral grandeur and narrative songwriting that feels both nostalgic and vital.
The album’s strength lies in Neil Tennant’s character studies, which pulse with an unexpected romanticism. On Dancing Star, he transforms Rudolf Nureyev’s Soviet defection into a glittering pop odyssey, while New London Boy retraces his own migration from Newcastle to London’s glam rock scene with surprising vulnerability. Unlike the review suggests though, these backward glances don’t feel particularly celebratory – there’s an underlying current of melancholy that suggests these stories of artistic freedom came at significant personal cost.
Where the album truly excels is in its production choices. Ford’s work emphasises the duo’s core strengths: the interplay between synthesisers and classical arrangements shimmers with unprecedented clarity. The Secret of Happiness transforms bossa-nova into something distinctly Pet Shop Boys, while Loneliness deploys brass with an urgency that belies its message of isolation.
Yet for all its polish, Nonetheless occasionally stumbles into self-consciousness. Bullet for Narcissus attempts political commentary but feels oddly hesitant, while The Schlager Hit Parade walks a thin line between critique and pastiche of post-war German pop.
Despite these missteps, Nonetheless stands as their strongest work this century (a feat in itself) – a testament to Pet Shop Boys’ enduring ability to mine the past while keeping one eye firmly on their future.
