Four decades in, the Pet Shop Boys know the secret to staying cool
Forty years and 50 million record sales after the Pet Shop Boys rose to fame with “West End Girls,” the iconic British duo is releasing a new album
LONDON (AP) — Chicken Kiev, AI-generated press releases and the annoyance of fan selfies while performing — there was a lot on the minds of the Pet Shop Boys as the iconic British duo prepared to release a new album.
Their 15th studio album, “Nonetheless,” comes Friday — 40 years (and 50 million record sales) after Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe rose to fame with the single “West End Girls.” Bands of any longevity — especially such a long one — are often asked the cliche: “How do you stay relevant?” For them, it's about never trying to be cool.
“That’s something a lot of people try and do, to be somehow cool, which is therefore completely uncool, because it’s trying too hard,” Tennant told The Associated Press recently. “So we have just followed our own instincts.”
“We’ll always be relevant in our world,” Lowe added, laughing.
