Rocktrospectiva: The Modern Avant-Gardist "Hotspot" Turns 5

Released on 24 January 2020, "Hotspot"  was the fourteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released by the band's own label x2, through Kobalt Label Services. The album spawned the singles "Dreamland", "·Burning The Heather", "Monkey Business", & "I Don't Wanna". The album charted in numerous countries, reaching number three on the album charts in the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.

Recording primarily recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin where the duo have written "most of their music over the last ten years", with the exception of "Burning the Heather", which was recorded at RAK Studios in London. The album features Bernard Butler played guitar on the track. 

The duo's website dubbed it the last of a trilogy of albums produced by Stuart Price, beginning with Electric in 2013. The duo achived to be on the main line again, reiventing themselves just like they did over the last three decades, also the current tendence back then helped the duo a lot, reinforced this successfully association between Tennant and Lowe. 

The album focuses on their fortress, to sound charming and fascinanting at the very same time, no changes but vibrant and nice tunes all over the ten tracks on the set, the usual fancy and elegant synth pop. The opener, "Will O The Wisp" retunr the classic sound, probing the original is the best, then moves with the beautiful "You Are The One", to move with the catchy and danceable "Happy People" keeping the same effort but this time under the collaboration of Years & Years on "Dreamland", then the band moves into something more funky with "Monkey Business", the other tracks "Hoping For A Miracle", "Only The Dark, and "Burning The Heather" are brilliante and perfectly crafted tunes in a very introspective style, "I Don't Wanna" is nice, and finally moves into this curious closer "Wedding In Berlin" that served to finish a very accurate album.

The album was the living proof about the duo inteligence and restless creativity, they don't needed to complicate anymore, just moved straight to what they knew, another landmark to proved the duo was relevant back then just like the way they still now, despite they became into something called indie-pop, which I think it's a honour for just few ones, the critics were positive considered them as a duo that has no limitations. 

 

Hotspot Track List: 

 

1. Wiil-o-the-Wisp

2. You Are The One

3. Happy People

4. Dreamland

5. Hoping For A Miracle

6. I Don't Wanna

7. Monkey Business

8. Only The Dark

9. Burning The Heather

10. Wedding In Berlin