Elysium (Pet Shop Boys album)

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Elysium is the eleventh studio album by the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 5 September 2012 on Parlophone and later described by the pair as their most beautiful, mood-focused record. The album was their last with Parlophone for about 12 years.

Creation and recording
- The duo began writing in Berlin in early 2011, with additional material added during Take That’s Progress Live tour (May–July 2011).
- Some early songs from 2008, “Leaving” and “Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin,” open and close the album.
- They aimed to make a Los Angeles–based record with a balance of electronic music and space in the sound.
- Recorded January–March 2012 in Los Angeles.
- Produced by Andrew Dawson alongside Pet Shop Boys. Dawson brought in two groups of backing vocalists: the Waters family and the a cappella group Sonos.
- An orchestra was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.
- Elysium is a mood-leaning, downbeat album rather than a high-energy dance record. The track “Invisible,” about growing older, helped set this tone.
- The album’s title was chosen after a walk in Elysian Park in Los Angeles. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe viewed the project as a reflection on where they are in life, even though some tracks with Dawson’s input steer away from the central concept.

Release, formats, and artwork
- Elysium was released in Japan on 5 September 2012, with other regions following soon after.
- Available as a standard CD, a special edition with instrumental versions, and a double vinyl edition. A 2017 re-release, Elysium: Further Listening 2011–2012, added a second disc of B-sides, demos, and remixes.
- Artwork by Mark Farrow uses nature imagery to reflect the album’s theme.

Singles and promotion
- The first single, Winner, came out on 3 July 2012.
- Leaving was released on 12 October 2012.
- Memory of the Future was issued on 31 December 2012.
- A teaser video for Invisible was released in June 2012, and the band debuted album tracks at a live-streamed concert in Berlin on 5 September 2012.

Reception and consequences
- Critics generally gave Elysium positive reviews, noting its beauty, maturity, and reflective mood. Metacritic scores averaged around 67/100.
- The album reached number 9 on the UK Albums Chart, selling about 10,418 copies in its first week.
- In the United States, it peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

Credits
- All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, with various contributors for production and performance as listed in the liner notes.