“Turn it up,” recommends Neil Tennant, pulsating opener Axis igniting seconds later. His first words describe the underlying ethos of Electric, Pet Shop Boys’ twelfth studio album: a relentless dance-fuelled affair that defies the direction of its predecessor. It’s a new era in more ways than one, Pet Shop Boys’ twenty-eight year relationship with Parlophone drawing to a close.
The duo have substituted the reflective intimacy of Elysium for an irrepressible energy, the ferociously contemporary Electric living up to its title. From the bubbly Bolshy to the simmering fuzzed-up electronica of Fluorescent, Electric twists and turns in a state of perpetual excitement. Club-oriented Shouting In The Evening unfolds in schizophrenic fits and starts, trading mechanized gasps for icy reprieves.
Pet Shop Boys’ fierce pursuit of the perfect dance track has left little room for pure pop brilliance this time around, though Thursday emerges as a key highlight. The song demonstrates how radically different Rebecca Black’s day-of-the-week ditty might have been with the guidance of such accomplished pop-smiths. It’s an infectious gem, Tenant’s directness typically disarming. “I want to know you’re going to stay for the weekend,” he demands. It’s a show of strength characteristic of Electric as a whole. The LP illustrates a band both rediscovering and flexing their muscles as dance-music heavyweights. It’s big, it’s bold but it’s also a lot of fun.
Overall, Electric marks yet another exciting milestone in Pet Shop Boys’ career.
BY NICK MASON
Best Track: Thursday
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Ice On The Dune EMPIRE OF THE SUN, Cast Away STRANGE TALK
In A Word: Sprightly
