Soft Cell have called on fellow synth-pop legends Pet Shop Boys to collaborate on their latest single Purple Zone.   

Marc Almond and Dave Ball are set to release ‘*Happiness Not Included’, their first studio album in 20 years, on May 6 and they’ve released a massive collaboration with Pet Shop Boys as its latest single. 

“We’ve known each other for years and there’s never been a rivalry,” Dave tells the launch issue of Retro Pop. “They’ve obviously been a lot more successful in terms of pop. 

“They would probably readily admit they are more pure pop than we ever were; we were much more dangerous and challenging things a bit more, whereas the Pet Shop Boys always had an excellent, very pop sensibility.”

He adds “I was talking to Chris Lowe backstage about the possibility of a Pet Shop Boys remix and he said, ‘I love that track, Purple Zone.’”

‘*Happiness Not Included’ features 10 new tracks and, according to Dave, “reflects the dreadful government we have at the moment and the levels of hypocrisy and incompetence”.

Marc adds: “In this album, I wanted to look at us as a society, a place where we have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality and decency, food before the rights of animals, fanaticism before fairness and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others.”

“I think it’s very much reflective of what’s going on in the world,” Dave continues. “The fact we had someone like [Donald] Trump in power. We’re not in a very good place globally. 

“Whatever your political beliefs are, the state [of the world] isn’t too good. And obviously, with all the global warming and all that sort of stuff going on, it’s not fantastically happy times.”

‘*Happiness Not Included’ is available to pre-order on CD, vinyl and cassette, along with physical editions of Purple Zone.

Read the full interview in the Retro Pop 2022 Preview Special, out now. Get yours here: Retro Pop Store.