Pet Shop Boys have left Parlophone Records after a ground-breaking 28 years and have signed their forthcoming studio album “Electric” to Kobalt Label Services in a global deal.
Their new album “Electric” is produced by Stuart Price and will be released in June 2013. Further information about the album will be announced soon.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe said today: “We are hugely proud of the new album and are very pleased to be working in conjunction with Kobalt. We’d like to thank everyone we’ve worked with at Parlophone over the last 28 years both in the UK and abroad. When we signed to the label in 1985 we had no idea how long and successful a relationship we were embarking on. However it is also exciting now to commence a new phase working with a new team in a new business structure and we look forward to a creative and equally fulfilling relationship with Kobalt.”
Paul Hitchman, Managing Director of Kobalt Label Services, said today: "The whole global Kobalt Label Services team is hugely excited to be a part of the forthcoming Pet Shop Boys release. We look forward to working in partnership with Neil, Chris, and the Becker Brown team to maximise the potential of the record, which is already sounding like a classic.”
Miles Leonard, President of A&R, Parlophone, said: “Few can say they have worked with any artist for 28 years, but Parlophone have and we are very proud of that. We have been fortunate enough to have been partners in one of the most successful careers in pop culture. Neil and Chris to this day influence so many with their incredible songwriting and music. We wish them every success in the future and look forward to continuing our relationship with them across their entire and enviable catalogue.”
Kobalt Label Service’s first international album release, “Push The Sky Away” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds recently debuted at number one in seven countries and top four in thirteen other countries.

http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/

I'm digging the teaser. Sounds very different from anything else they've done

[Edited 3/14/13 10:41am]

SuperSoulFighter said:

Yet another artist I'd never ever want to hear from again!

They always deliver! one of the few artists who always gives a good album each time

This explains why the last album was so weak: contract filler.

Personally, I can't wait to hear this, Stuart Price always delivers and this has a 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' feel to it.

This is great news! They were publishing each new album with a three-four year gap since Behaviour, and now we get another record the year after Elysium (which is a very good album, in my opinion)!

Thanks for posting!

Gunsnhalen said:

They always deliver! one of the few artists who always gives a good album each time

I agree. And the albums from Fundamental onward are particularly good, as interesting as their best records.

Knowing that they have a new record deal, one can assume that they have left some of their stronger recent material off Elysium, in order to publish it in their new record. And, being Elysium a very good album, something big is probably going to happen with Electric!

rlittler81 said:

This explains why the last album was so weak: contract filler.

Personally, I can't wait to hear this, Stuart Price always delivers and this has a 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' feel to it.

i'm not sure that it was a contract filler. they went to america to record it and hired

an outside producer. plus they spent a lot of time on it. and then there's the usual

amount of b-sides connected to this album. especially the b-sides the last single are

very strong: "listening", "one night", "inside". those would not have been misplaced

if they'd been on the actual album.

seems like they're just working a bit faster these days.

whatever though, i'm excited for "electric".

Whoa. Wasn't expecting a follow-up so soon. Good news.

They did mention in interviews around the time of the release of "Elysium" that the next album would be more pop/dance oriented and would come soon followig "Elysium", and that they had recorded quite a bit of extra material and were saving more of the uptempo tracks for the next album. I'm glad to see they are following through. I did like "Elysium" overall - there were some really great tracks and I loved the production sound. Unfortunately they lead it off with a single ("Winner") that is, in my opinion, probably the single weakest of their long and amazing career. But some of that album was amazing... especially "Leaving" and "Memory of the Future", which should have been the first single. And the b-sides were indeed solid.

I'm looking forward to hearing the new one!

Seeing how what the Boys put out is 90% better than the rest that is released in said year, I cant fucking wait.

Plus Parolphone was sold after Elysium was released its hardly contract filler.

[Edited 3/15/13 11:41am]

N we all know what the orange cone means!!!!!!!!!

NoVideo said:

They did mention in interviews around the time of the release of "Elysium" that the next album would be more pop/dance oriented and would come soon followig "Elysium", and that they had recorded quite a bit of extra material and were saving more of the uptempo tracks for the next album. I'm glad to see they are following through. I did like "Elysium" overall - there were some really great tracks and I loved the production sound. Unfortunately they lead it off with a single ("Winner") that is, in my opinion, probably the single weakest of their long and amazing career. But some of that album was amazing... especially "Leaving" and "Memory of the Future", which should have been the first single. And the b-sides were indeed solid.

I'm looking forward to hearing the new one!

I completely agree with your opinion on Elysium.

[Edited 3/18/13 23:50pm]

They are alternating introspective and melancholic albums with uptempo ones since the days of Behaviour-Very. Remember the last series of recordings: Fundamental was followed by Yes, then again the reflective Elysium, and now it seems they're publishing a new uptempo album. I think these albums can be placed between the "very good" mark and the "excellent". Amazing for a band that started almost thirty years ago.

[Edited 3/18/13 23:55pm]

Javi said:

They are alternating introspective and melancholic albums with uptempo ones since the days of Behaviour-Very. Remember the last series of recordings: Fundamental was followed by Yes, then again the reflective Elysium, and now it seems they're publishing a new uptempo album. I think these albums can be placed between the "very good" mark and the "excellent". Amazing for a band that started almost thirty years ago.

[Edited 3/18/13 23:55pm]

Agreed. They've never put out a bad album, as far as I'm concerned. "Release" is a particular favorite of mine, even though a lot of people dislike it. I think it has some amazing material on it - "Home and Dry" and "Birthday Boy" in particular.

Home And Dry is one of my very fave PSB tunes.

I like Release, it was a nice change of pace for them and Johnny Marr's contributions were cool.

My favourite "recent" album is Fundamental. Songs like "I Made My Excuses And Left" and "Luna Park" are truly fantastic.