Electric (Pet Shop Boys album)

Electric
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released14 July 2013 (2013-07-14)[1]
RecordedSeptember 2012 – April 2013
Genre
Length49:12
Labelx2
ProducerStuart Price
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Elysium
(2012) 		Electric
(2013) 		Super
(2016)
Singles from Electric
  1. "Axis"
    Released: 1 May 2013
  2. "Vocal"
    Released: 3 June 2013
  3. "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"
    Released: 2 September 2013
  4. "Thursday"
    Released: 4 November 2013
  5. "Fluorescent"
    Released: 19 April 2014

Electric is the twelfth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 14 July 2013 on the duo's own label, x2, through Kobalt Label Services.[4] It was the duo's first album since their departure from Parlophone.

In their native United Kingdom, Electric was BBC Radio 2's Album of the Week from 8 July 2013. It features a collaboration with English singer and rapper Example.

Electric reached number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 26 on the US Billboard 200, the duo's highest chart performances in both territories in 20 years. The album also performed well in other markets. It was supported by the Electric Tour which visited 46 countries through 112 concerts.[5]

Background and release

[edit]

Pet Shop Boys recorded the album in London, Berlin and Los Angeles from November 2012 to April 2013.[6] On 30 April 2013, the duo announced on their website that they had recorded the album over the "last six months", with "Fluorescent" in particular written and recorded within the previous month. Stuart Price, who was enlisted to produce the album,[6] finished mixing the album in late April 2013.[7]

When Pet Shop Boys began working with Price, they made it clear that they wanted to make a "dance record". Price stated that his goal was for every track to have a "euphoric, fresh feel to it".[7] The more dance-influenced nature of Electric was a response to the "reflective mood" of their previous album, Elysium.[6]

The album is the first Pet Shop Boys studio album that was not released through Parlophone. The 28-year relationship between the duo and the label ended when Pet Shop Boys announced that Electric would be released through Kobalt Label Services.[8] Pet Shop Boys subsequently announced that the album would appear on their own label, x2 (pronounced "times two"), under the Kobalt banner.[6] Chris Lowe was given credit for naming the label. Pet Shop Boys said they intended to release all of their future albums on x2.[9]

The album was simultaneously released worldwide on 15 July 2013 in four formats: CD, digital download, Playbutton and LP.[6]

Promotion

[edit]

On 14 March 2013, Pet Shop Boys debuted a short trailer for Electric on YouTube.[8]

In support of the album, the duo embarked on the Electric Tour, which began on 22 March 2013 at the Cumbre Tajín festival in Veracruz, Mexico, where they debuted two songs from the album: "Axis" and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's 2007 song "The Last to Die".[10] The tour's first official date took place at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile, on 13 May 2013.[11]

On 30 April 2013, immediately following the official album announcement on Pet Shop Boys' website, the lead single "Axis" premiered online,[6][12] and was released digitally the following day.[13] The Boys Noize remix of the song was released on 14 May.[14]

The second official single "Vocal" premiered on 1 June 2013 on DJ Dave Pearce's BBC Radio 2 show Dance Years,[15] followed by a digital release on 3 June.[16] A CD single, digital download and 12-inch vinyl single were all released on 29 July 2013, featuring new remixes of the song.[17] A music video for the single was released on 18 June.[18]

The entire album was available for streaming in the United Kingdom via The Guardian.[19]

"Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" was released as the third single on 2 September 2013.[17] The single contains remixes and two B-sides, "Entschuldigung!" and "Get It Online".[20] "Thursday" was the fourth single from Electric, digitally released on 4 November 2013. The single contains remixes and two B-sides, "No More Ballads", "Odd Man Out". The video footage for the video was shot in Shanghai.[21]

On 27 March 2014, Pet Shop Boys announced they would be releasing "Fluorescent" as a limited edition 12-inch vinyl to celebrate Record Store Day 2014 on 19 April.[22]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[23]
Metacritic84/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
The Daily Telegraph[26]
The Guardian[27]
The Independent[28]
Los Angeles Times[29]
NME8/10[30]
Pitchfork7.0/10[31]
Q[32]
Rolling Stone[33]
Spin8/10[34]

Electric received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[24] Dorian Lynskey of Q praised several songs on the album and noted, "With Electric, Pet Shop Boys have succeeded spectacularly."[32] Simon Price, music critic for the Independent on Sunday, described the album as "sublime".[35] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph commented that "Electric is the second really fantastic pop-dance blast of the year".[26]

Commercial performance

[edit]

The album debuted at number three in the United Kingdom on the UK Albums Chart, selling 15,715 copies in its first week, becoming Pet Shop Boys' highest-charting studio album in the UK since Very topped the chart in 1993.[36][37]

In the United States, Electric debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 11,000 copies, becoming the duo's highest-charting US album since Very peaked at number 20 in 1993.[38] It also debuted at number two on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Axis"5:32
2."Bolshy"5:44
3."Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" (writers: Tennant, Lowe, Henry Purcell)6:41
4."Fluorescent"6:14
5."Inside a Dream"5:37
6."The Last to Die" (writer: Bruce Springsteen)4:12
7."Shouting in the Evening"3:36
8."Thursday" (featuring Example; writers: Tennant, Lowe, Elliot Gleave)5:02
9."Vocal"6:34
Japanese edition bonus tracks[39][40]
No.TitleLength
10."Axis" (Boys Noize remix)4:10
11."Axis" (Boys Noize Dub remix)4:10

Notes

  • "Inside a Dream" includes a quotation from "The Land of Dreams" by William Blake (1757–1827)

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Electric.[41]

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

  • Elliot Gleave – vocals (8)
  • Stuart Price – additional programming (all tracks); additional vocals (3)
  • Andy Crookston – additional vocals (3)
  • Pete Gleadall – additional vocals (3); additional programming (3, 6, 9)
  • Luke Halls – additional vocals (3)
  • Jessica Freedman – additional vocals (8)
  • Katharine Anne Hoye – additional vocals (8)
  • Adam Blake – handclaps (5)

Technical

  • Stuart Price – production, engineering, mixing
  • Pete Gleadall – additional engineering (3, 6, 9); additional vocals recording (3)
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Farrow – design, art direction
  • PSB – design, art direction
  • John Ross – photography

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for Electric
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[42] 24
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[43] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[44] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[45] 20
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[46] 21
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[47] 4
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[48] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[49] 15
Estonian Albums (Raadio 2)[50] 5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[51] 5
French Albums (SNEP)[52] 34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[53] 3
Greek Albums (IFPI)[54] 51
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[55] 40
Irish Albums (IRMA)[56] 18
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[57] 3
Italian Albums (FIMI)[58] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[59] 1
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[60] 50
Scottish Albums (OCC)[61] 10
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[62] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 11
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[65] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[66] 1
US Billboard 200[67] 26
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[68] 2
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[69] 2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "History: 2013". Petshopboys.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Crossfadr | DJ, Production & Dance Music News". Crossfadr.com. 26 July 2013.
  3. ^ Turner, Luke (29 May 2013). "Pet Shop Boys' New LP Electric, Track-By-Track Preview". The Quietus.
  4. ^ "Electric PET SHOP BOYS". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Electric tour 2013-2014". Petshopboys.co.uk.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Electric – the new album". petshopboys.co.uk. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  7. ^ a b Sherburne, Philip (24 April 2013). "Jacques Lu Cont Talks Tracques, Pet Shop Boys, and Les Rythmes Digitales' Return". Spin. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Breaking news". petshopboys.co.uk. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
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  14. ^ "Axis (Boys Noize Remix) – Single by Pet Shop Boys". iTunes Store (UK). 21 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Vocal on Radio 2". petshopboys.co.uk. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
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  17. ^ a b "'Love is a bourgeois construct' single". Petshopboys.co.uk.
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  24. ^ a b "Reviews for Electric by Pet Shop Boys". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
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  28. ^ Gill, Andy (5 July 2013). "Album review: Pet Shop Boys, Electric (x2)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  29. ^ Roberts, Randall (15 July 2013). "Review: Pet Shop Boys remain fresh and vital with 'Electric'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
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  34. ^ Soto, Alfred (16 July 2013). "Pet Shop Boys, 'Electric' (x2)". Spin. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  35. ^ Simon Price [@simon_price01] (11 July 2013). "The new @PetShopBoys album Electric is sublime. Particularly outstanding tracks: "Love Is A Bourgeois Construct", "The Last To Die", "Vocal"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ Lane, Daniel (21 July 2013). "Robin Thicke scores his first ever Official Albums Chart-topper with Blurred Lines". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
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  49. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pet Shop Boys – Electric" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
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  59. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Electric". Hung Medien.
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  63. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Electric". Hung Medien.
  64. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Electric". Hung Medien.
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  69. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard.
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