"If you want to write a classic pop song, use these chords: Ab, Bb, G minor 7th, C minor. You can’t go wrong with that": How to make a track that sounds like The Pet Shop Boys

Pet shop boys.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe from the Pet Shop Boys are currently celebrating four decades of having produced their unique brand of electronic pop. To mark the occasion, they’ve brought out a new album, Nonetheless, so it’s time to look at what makes their music tick. 

The duo started writing music together in 1981, and began a long list of chart hits with their debut album, Please, in 1986 and the huge hit singles West End Girls, Suburbia and Love Comes Quickly. They then enjoyed number one after number one during their so-called ‘imperial phase’, with tracks including It’s a Sin and What Have I Done to Deserve This? featuring Dusty Springfield.