WORTH A LOOK?: *****

OUT: now

The 3rd single from album Hotspot (out on 24/1/20) is more uptempo than predecessor Burning The Heather and is a dancefloor blast that reminds of the 80s yet doesn’t sound out of place on 2020 radio.

• Read on for reasons including details of Pet Shop Boys The O2 gig in London in 2020

Monkey Business boasts a playful, hedonistic lyric which veers into tongue-in-cheek when suggesting: ‘People tell me I’m a legend round these parts, I start the party and I end up breaking hearts.’

Its tune is more of a groove than the strong melodies the Boys are most renowned for and recalls 80s bops including Shannon’s Let The Music Play with its insistent electro hook.

We’re already fully on board with the album which made the runner-up position on our January highlights preview behind only Madonna’s 1st UK gigs for five years.

There’s a European tour in May (including a gig at The 02) and a rumoured Glastonbury appearance to mark its 50th birthday.

The 1st single from Hotspot is a previous Song Of The Month for us and we described last year’s Hyde Park headliner as: ‘Famous for matching intelligent lyrics with irresistible synth-pop hooks, and with a 30-year back catalogue to plunder, they could easily entertain thousands of 30 to 50-somethings gathered in Hyde Park on a balmy Sunday evening.’

Hotspot‘s already warming up to be one of the best albums of the new decade so far.

• Picture by Phil Fisk via Facebook courtesy Pet Shop Boys. Tickets
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