Pet Shop Boys Announce Stuart Price-Produced Album ‘Electric’: Watch The Video Tease

Robbie Daw | March 14, 2013 6:54 am

It was one of the worst-kept secrets in pop, really: British hitmaker Stuart Price, who in recent years has worked with everyone from Madonna to Scissor Sisters to Take That to The Killers, is the producer of the upcoming 12th studio album from Pet Shop Boys, Electric. The album was announced today, and is scheduled to be released at some point in June.

The Boys teased their new set of tunes with a video today that should send chills of excitement darting through fans who felt their last LP, Elysium — which, mind you, was only released six months ago — was a tad bit too low-key. First of all, we’re absolutely on board with what seems like a winking reference the duo’s benchmark-setting 1993 LP Very in the clip, via the orange cone shape that appears at the beginning. And second, the song that plays sounds like Pet Shop Boys doing Daft Punk doing Pet Shop Boys doing retro Italo disco. What more could we ever possibly ask for?

Along with the tease of Electric comes news that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have finally parted ways with Parlophone, their UK-based label for the past 28 years. They have now signed a global deal with Kobalt Label Services.

In a statement, Pet Shop Boys noted the following: “This is a very exciting point in our careers. 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.”

Pet Shop Boys’ previous two studio albums, Elysium and 2009’s Yes, were released in the US by Capitol’s imprint Astralwerks. Capitol and Parlophone’s parent label EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group last year.

“When we signed to the label in 1985 we had no idea how long and successful a relationship we were embarking on,” Pet Shop Boys continued in their statement. “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.”

Stuart Price previously produced the medley Pet Shop Boys performed at the 2009 BRIT Awards, upon their being lauded with the Outstanding Contribution To Music statue. He also reworked Neil and Chris’ most recent single, “Memory Of The Future,” the remix for which we premiered here on Idolator.

Now, let’s all go play that album trailer for a seventh time, shall we?