Actually

With Actually, Pet Shop Boys ascended from synth-pop darlings to era-defining auteurs. It’s one of those rare albums that both expands a band’s sonic palette and sharpens their identity — mixing high-gloss production with low-key wit, heartbreak with political bite, and club-ready hooks with kitchen-sink realism.

Actually is the sound of ’80s Britain reflected through a designer shop window. Opener “One More Chance” pulses with urban paranoia, while “Shopping” disguises sharp critiques of Thatcherite privatization beneath playful synths. “It’s a Sin” goes full operatic — guilt and grandeur entwined — and “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” revives Dusty Springfield’s soul with a smirk and a shrug.

The back half of the album deepens rather than dips. “Rent” captures transactional intimacy with minimalist perfection, and “It Couldn’t Happen Here” pairs sweeping melancholy with art-cinema ambience. The final track, “King’s Cross”, is a devastating, near-liturgical closer — as cold and beautiful as the station it mourns.

Pop rarely wears a tuxedo as well as it does here. Actually is precision-made melancholy in 4/4 time — a record that looks down from the penthouse, heartbroken and knowing.