One reason to especially eagerly anticipate a new Pet Shop Boys single is that the bonus tracks can often be expected to rival the title track in quality. That tradition holds up with “Say it to me”, the lead track of which is vintage Pet Shop Boys and, in our view, a big highlight of the duo’s current album Super.
When we reviewed Super in April, we called “Say it to me” “the kind of vibrant, dance-y froth that we could have imagined Dannii Minogue cranking out in the 1990s.” So, the song has obvious appeal for lovers of 1990s dance – especially if they have fond personal memories of that period. And, with this EP, there’s an alternative mix that, nice though it is, differs only subtly from the also included new radio mix.
The EP also includes two completely new songs from the synthpop legends: “A cloud in a box” and “The dead can dance”. There’s a rather subdued, ethereal feel to the former, which is largely instrumental bar a short, poetic monologue half-sung, half-spoken by lead singer Neil Tennant. The latter song, meanwhile, exhibits a darker atmosphere that is unlikely to surprise given its title.
The “Say it to me” EP can now be streamed on Apple Music or bought from the iTunes Store.
