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Burning the Heather
Pop · 2019

Burning the Heather

Pet Shop Boys

A rare, rustic detour featuring Bernard Butler on acoustic guitar. Melancholic folk-pop that trades the dance floor for the damp, cooling air of a Northern autumn.

November 14, 2019 · x2 (2)

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Burning the Heather represents a startling and beautiful pivot for Pet Shop Boys, moving away from the neon-drenched club anthems of their Stuart Price-produced trilogy toward something far more grounded and pastoral. It sounds like the cooling of the earth after a long summer. The presence of ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler provides a woody, organic texture that feels entirely foreign yet perfectly suited to Neil Tennant's deadpan delivery. It is a song of the North, evoking the bleak but beautiful landscapes of the English countryside with a sense of quiet resignation.

Moments Worth Listening For
the entry of Bernard Butler's distinctive, slightly folk-inflected acoustic guitar which immediately signals a shift away from the band's usual electronic palette
the way Neil Tennant's voice cracks slightly on the lower notes during the chorus, emphasizing the vulnerability of the lyrics
the subtle, atmospheric synth pads that swell underneath the guitar in the final third, bridging the gap between their synth heritage and this new folk direction
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Burning the Heather sound next to the rest of Pet Shop Boys's catalogue?

Autumn Walk+4.0σ

Autumn Walk saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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