Pet Shop Boys originally wrote one of the songs on their new album for The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.
The duo returned this week with their 15th album, ‘Nonetheless‘, featuring the singles Loneliness and Dancing Star, and in a new interview they revealed one of the track dates back to 2010.
On the origins of Feel, Neil Tennant tells Record Collector magazine: “We sent it to him when he was making his solo album with Stuart Price, but we don’t know if it reached him – and then, during lockdown, I read a book about the spy, George Blake, escaping from prison.
“For some reason, it inspired me to return to this, so now it’s about visiting a loved one in prison.”
Brandon worked with Stuart Price on his 2010 debut solo album, ‘Flamingo’. Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys collaborated with Price on their last three albums: ‘Electric’ (2013), ‘Super’ (2016) and ‘Hotspot’ (2020).
‘Nonetheless‘ is the 15th album from Pet Shop Boys and was recorded in 2023 with James Ford, marking their first collaboration.
“We wanted this album to be a celebration of the unique and diverse emotions that make us human,” says Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. “From the more dance-orientated tracks to the raw poignancy of the introspective ballads, with their beautiful string arrangements, each track tells a story and contributes to the overall narrative of the album.”
To launch the album, they’ll play a one-off intimate gig at KOKO, London on May 26, before taking up residency at London’s Royal Opera House between July 23 and July 27.
In a review of the album, RETROPOP called ‘Nonetheless’ “a bold, current and exciting body of work that stands tall alongside the very best of their catalogue”.
