Polyphonic Press - Classic Album Reviews · Jeremy Boyd & Jon VanDyk

Behaviour by Pet Shop Boys: Synth-Pop’s Introspective Turn

June 24, 2025·37 min·1 clip

Seven-minute introspective synth-pop—the exact opposite of what record labels want, but it works.

Polyphonic Press hosts Jeremy Boyd and John Van Dyke randomly select Behavior by Pet Shop Boys and listen together with running commentary. Released October 1990 and produced with Harold Faltermeyer, the album represented a deliberate shift from dance-pop to introspective, sophisticated synth-pop. Hosts initially skeptical about the sound gradually appreciate the album's counterintuitively emotional use of synthesizers. They discuss Neil Tennant's coined term 'imperial phase' (when commercial and creative peaks align), explaining why Behavior's commercial underperformance actually freed the band creatively. The discussion centers on how critical acclaim doesn't guarantee commercial success when audiences crave trends rather than sophistication.

As heard by us

A reflective Pet Shop Boys album whose warmth and restraint make more sense in hindsight.

Polyphonic Press does a nice job with Behavior, making the case that the Pet Shop Boys were moving into something softer, more melodic, and more reflective without losing the polish that made them work in the first place.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Pet Shop Boys turn moody, warm, and a little out of step with 1990.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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