Pet Shop Boys have announced their new concept album ‘A Man From The Future’, due out on 9 October via Parlophone Records. Developed alongside biographer Andrew Hodges, the record is structured across eight chapters that chronologically trace the life and legacy of mathematician Alan Turing — from his schooldays to his pivotal role breaking the Enigma machine during the Second World War, his contributions to artificial intelligence, his persecution for his homosexuality, and his tragic end.
The work blends songs, spoken word, and electronic and orchestral music, with string arrangements performed by the Manchester Camerata Octet and narration from actress Juliet Stevenson. The project revisits an original 2012 composition that premiered at the BBC Proms in 2014, to which the duo has now added a greater electronic dimension. The final track also features a excerpt from a speech by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in which he apologised for the treatment Turing received following his conviction.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have described the album as a musical tribute to Turing, honouring his contribution to the defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War and his wish to have lived in a time when being gay was simply accepted. The release follows the rarities tour ‘Obscure’ and the warm reception given to their fifteenth studio album, ‘Nonetheless’ (2024).
Tracklist for ‘A Man From The Future’:
- ‘Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know’
- ‘He Dreamed Of Machines’
- ‘The Enigma’
- ‘Other Ranks’
- ‘The Memory And The Control’
- ‘The Trial’
- ‘Only In His Death’
- ‘A Man From The Future’
As a preview of the launch, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the album exclusively on 4 October, and Pet Shop Boys will join Andrew Hodges for a listening event and discussion on 8 October at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, with tickets on sale from 7 September.
