Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys are two synth-pop duo titans. Ever since they achieved their first chart hits in 1981 and 1984 respectively, they have inspired generations of musicians, cultivated cult followings, and cemented their place firmly in music history with timeless dancefloor hits. ‘Purple Zone’ is the synth-pop collaboration of dreams and it is not one that disappoints.
The first possibility of a collaboration was ignited when Pet Shop Boys saw Soft Cell perform ‘Purple Zone’ on their sold-out UK tour last year. Pet Shop Boys had originally planned to only remix the record, but their ideas quickly turned into a full collaboration with Soft Cell. Both bands were so impressed by the result of their duet that the track will be the definitive version of ‘Purple Zone’ on Soft Cell’s long-awaited new album, *Happiness Not Included, which will be released on May 6th.
‘Purple Zone’ starts with a tantalising call for freedom from Soft Cell’s lead Marc Almond, who sings “let’s get out of this life / I’m afraid and alone” with his trademark expressive delivery. Almond’s lyrics draw on feelings of confusion, isolation and anger with extravagant dramatism that is typical of his work: “I’m losing all my feeling / emotion I pretend.”
The track then launches into a rousing chorus that combines Soft Cell pioneer Dave Ball’s melancholy synth chords with the high drama of Pet Shop Boys Chris Lowe’s unmistakable electronic sound. For ‘Purple Zone,’ Lowe uses a hi-NRG sheen, a synth feature common on many 80s era smash hits, to elevate the track’s intensity and to cement the place of ‘Purple Zone’ on dancefloors. Lowe’s synth chords are also very reminiscent to the ones used on Pet Shop Boys’ chart-topping cover of ‘Always On My Mind’, a feature that only adds to the nostalgic yearning for the past that runs throughout the track.
The chorus is when we are also introduced to Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant’s unmistakable vocals, who then effortlessly guides us into the second verse. Tennant’s voice has not aged in forty years, and it is quite extraordinary. “All the fleeting moments of beauty / you blinked, and then they were gone” he wistfully contemplates, as he grapples with the realities of ageing and the quick passage of time. Tennant’s solemn delivery on this subject will strike a chord in particular with the older generation of fans, who have followed both bands for the past forty years.
Speaking to Chaos Control, Tennant cites Soft Cell as not only a musical inspiration, but the reason as to why he bonded with bandmate Chris Lowe. “When Chris and I first met in 1981, one of the things we used to talk about was Soft Cell. We particularly liked the record ‘Bedsitter.’ They were a really big influence on us when we first started.” Almond and Tennant exchanging lyrics during the second verse, forty years on, is a very emotionally poignant moment.
‘Purple Zone’ combines Soft Cell’s melancholic lyricism with Pet Shop Boys’ flair for danceable synth. Marc Almond has described the track as “the perfect combination between us and them” and he is exactly right. Debuting at number 11 on the Official UK Music Sales Chart, the reaction to ‘Purple Zone’ has been phenomenal, and it is the first Soft Cell song to land a place in the top 20 since ‘What?’ in 1982. The fantastic track, with theatrical synth and an ear-worm for a chorus, is just the tonic that so many of us need after two years of COVID-19 dominated, stressful misery. We are left with the only question: why did it take them 40 years to collaborate?
*Happiness Not Included is available to pre-order here.
Words by Ester Scott
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