Forty years on from their audacious declaration of temporal indifference, Pet Shop Boys remain not just standing, but vibrantly relevant with their latest album, Nonetheless. Back in April, it marked four decades since they, as Neil Tennant eloquently put it in “West End Girls,” announced: “We’ve got no future/We’ve got no past/Here today, built to last.” This ethos of perpetual presence has defined the British duo’s career, an unbroken stream of music that consistently looks forward without ever needing to revisit past glories. While nostalgia inevitably tints the lens through which we view any band with such longevity, Tennant and Chris Lowe have, somewhat surprisingly, engaged with this retrospective gaze quite directly in recent years. Extensive reissues of their back catalog, a comprehensive singles collection, a BBC documentary, and a sprawling greatest hits tour all attest to this reflective period. Yet, even amidst this looking back, they delivered Nonetheless in April, arguably their finest album of the 21st century. Interestingly, their current setlists only sparingly feature tracks from this new work, and a recent BBC ballroom performance medley drew exclusively from their pre-1993 material. The inclusion of a cover of Mott the Hoople’s 1972 hit, “All the Young Dudes,” on a deluxe edition of Nonetheless feels like the sole nod to novelty within a sea of established classics.
This embrace of their legacy might suggest a struggle for contemporary attention, a concern perhaps hinted at in the melancholic tones of their 2012 album, Elysium, which grappled with a sense of fading visibility. However, Nonetheless stands in stark contrast to any such notions. The character-driven narratives within the album pulse with vitality, portraying protagonists who defy societal constraints to pursue grand aspirations – be it queer love, personal fulfillment, utopian ideals, or artistic liberty – and, crucially, to achieve them. Pet Shop Boys crafted this album even as the pandemic cast a shadow over the music industry and the future of live performance seemed uncertain. Tennant, resourceful as ever, mastered GarageBand for self-recording, underpinned by an unwavering belief in the eventual return of live music. Their preceding trilogy of dynamic dance albums produced with Stuart Price (from 2013 to 2020) had maintained their contemporary sound, though by Hotspot, a sense of lyrical resignation had begun to creep in. Nonetheless, produced by James Ford, banishes this sentiment entirely. It’s a resplendent return to songwriting grandeur, shimmering with a sophisticated opulence. This album delivers the most potent distillation of Pet Shop Boys’ signature cocktail of synths and strings in years, proving their enduring ability to innovate within their established sound.
In 2018, Tennant himself reflected on the decreasing prevalence of love songs in their discography, suggesting a possible dwindling of romantic inspiration. Hotspot featured “Wedding in Berlin,” a track that, while incorporating Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” and repeating “We’re getting married, married, married,” felt somewhat detached and perfunctory. Therefore, the renewed romanticism on Nonetheless is particularly refreshing. Tennant’s swooning admiration for Rudolf Nureyev’s defection in “Dancing Star” evokes the shimmering, jubilant atmosphere of 1988’s “Domino Dancing.” Lowe’s masterful synth orchestrations further enhance this feeling. In “Feel,” Tennant surrenders completely to love, comparing a romantic terrace interlude to “a Rosetti frieze.” Amidst the smoky, intricate bossa nova rhythms of “The Secret of Happiness,” he’s captivated by someone whose wall is adorned with Peter Blake’s “Babe Rainbow, framed from the Sunday Times.” The most minor critique one might offer is that Tennant’s lyrical structure has perhaps become somewhat formulaic. However, on Nonetheless, art and love, and a steadfast faith in both, emerge as liberating and protective forces. Tennant subtly weaves his own origin story into this tapestry of dreamers, offering it as both a testament to these forces and another compelling narrative ripe for repeated listening. Pet Shop Boys nonetheless continue to surprise and delight, proving their lasting power in the ever-evolving landscape of pop music.
