Nonetheless ...

Hi, I’m Matt, and welcome to Steady Beats: rumination on music, muscle, and motion at midlife.

“Keep Calm and Carry On” goes the British saying, its roots springing from the bombing horrors England’s population endured in World War II.

Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, better known together as the Pet Shop Boys, have been calmly carrying on now for over 25 years, with care, craftsmanship, and yes, a sturdy serenity that comes through even in their rowdiest dance tracks.

The duo is back with “nonetheless,” their 15th album which features another set of sorta-dance, sorta-pop, and definitely synthy and catchy songs. Nonetheless is another strong entry into their lengthy catalog, and one worthy of plenty of replays this summer.

The album reached #2 on the UK charts, blocked only by the indominanable Taylor Swift—something Tennant may not have been entirely happy about.

The album features the classic Pet Shop Boys sound, driven by clever lyrics, an orchestra, and lots of synth, of course. But underneath the familiar style lies a maturity that looks at life through a middle-aged perspective. There’s an theme flowing through the album of life moving on past their early dreams and dredging up a lot of feelings along the path. Wistfulness. Regret. Loneliness.

Themes any citizen of the 1980s may find themselves wresting with today.

The entire package is delivered with Neil Tennant’s sensible and steady vocals, a smooth delivery that keeps on no matter the subject or tempo. Neil is workmanlike, soothing, and authoritative as always.

Here are some quick Impressions from a few tracks:

• The first track, “Loneliness,” opens in a London fog right before strings and a driving disco beat drop you right into Studio 54. But even at the disco party, all is not well:

Wherever you go, you take yourself with you
There’s nowhere you can hide
From the loneliness that’s haunting your life

One track in, this uncomfortable combination of upbeat dance music and darker lyrical themes emerges.

• “Why am I dancing,” asks just that very question, juxtaposing success with loneliness:

Why am i dancing when i’m so alone – maybe i can celebrate on my own 

• “New London Boy” looks back at coming of age and being gay in what is likely mid-70s to early-80s London. The song features a rap verse, with a synth line complement that would be at home in Blondie’s “Rapture.” It’s not a copy, but a similar styling, a nod to a song that might have been popular in the time this song looks back on.

• A couple of tracks are a departure from the “life is getting on” themes. “Build for Narcissus” tells the tale of a Secret Service-style agent, who has taken a vow to protect a politician he’s not impressed with. “Dancing Star” tells the tale of a dancer defecting from the Soviet Union.

  • In “A New Bohemia,” we are warned against making too much of our white-washed reminiscences:

Never trust your memories 

Say a sentimental farewell

All ten tracks deliver. The CD also comes with a second EP — “furthermore,” a re-imaging of four classic tracks. “It’s a Sin” and “Always On My Mind” were interesting to listen to — how do Neil and Chris express these tracks all these years later? But neither remake was powerful enough to overtake the familiar grooves ingrained in my brain from so many listenings of the originals.

Who could forget the apocalyptic opening of the original “It’s a Sin” from 1987?

The Pet Shop Boys were ubiquitous in the back half of the 80s, their parade of hits marching through the background of our lives, delivered by MTV and top 40 radio.

Against the advice of “A New Bohemia”, I do trust that memory.

And I’m glad we’ve not yet said farewell to the Pet Shop Boys. They’re still adding great music to their hits parade.

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On a personal note: My imposter syndrome around writing about music is suffocating. It’s good to be pushed this far outside my comfort zone. And fun.

So I appreciate you reading Steady Beats #244.

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