Just two months after the release of Dreamland, another new single in advance of the new studio album was released:-
mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Burning The Heather
Having gone all synth-pop last time out, this time out it’s a slow-paced number with its sound relying somewhat on an acoustic guitar, courtesy of the wonderfully-talented Bernard Butler.
I’ve long been fond of those occasional moments when PSB slow things down and move away from the clubs and dance floor. I think Neil Tennant is a much under-appreciated song-writer/lyricist, and Burning The Heather, if offered to, and accepted by, any one of the many 21st Century male pop stars whose songs of pain and anxiety sell by the millions, then this would have been a hit.
It’s a complex lyric, open to a number of possible interpretations, one of which is that it was inspired by the true life story of an elderly man who took committed suicide on the moors of Northern England, but who was not properly identified for more than a year as a result of him having lived as a loner who suffered from depression in London. It’s a very sad take on things, but it does fit the narrative, albeit the final verse does suggest he was open to having his mind changed about his plans to end his life.
The initial digital-only release on 14 November was later accompanied by a 7″ single on 13 December 2019, with this being the additional song in both instances:-
mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Decide
An electronic classic in which Chris Lowe takes lead vocal for much of the song, albeit through his usual trick of having his vocal go through a distorter. Is it too obvious to say that this is PSB offering their take on the truly awful state of the nation as it approached the impending General Election with the expectation that the Tories under Boris Johnson would get their mandate to ‘Get Brexit Done’.
2020 was fast approaching. The Pet Shop Boys had a new album ready for release, after which they would embark on Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour, in which the duo would visit 24 cities in Europe and the UK between 1 May and 24 June, with more festival dates and cities in the Americas, Asia and Australia likely to be added for later in the year.
SPOILER ALERT : The tour, like all major music events in 2020, was cancelled as COVID rampaged its way across the globe.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
A great pair of songs which I doubt I would have heard had it not been for this series. Hard to believe we’re up to 2019, going into 2020 already. It’s been a really enjoyable series and introduced me to a whole new PSB world. Thanks, JC!