Actually

Hi my name is Sam. I'm a straight white male, and I LOVE THE PET SHOP BOYS.

"I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your parents are gonna love it"

Just a collection of great songs, consistently enjoyable from start to finish.

It was all downhill from West End Girls for me

Enjoyed

Going very high 3. They make music that is vulnerable and earnest, and lean into a type of synth music that - albeit it hasn’t aged as well for their contemporaries - sounds entirely natural for them

Consistently good album.

Pet Shop Boys’ sound is completely their own, an unusual mixture of the masculine and the feminine and an unsung progenitor for the heightened sensibilities of hyperpop and bubblegum bass. They can totally get away with stuff that it would be inadvisable for most others to try. The lyrics to Shopping are so silly that it shouldn’t work - but they are perfect out of their mouths. There is a gentle theatricality running through Actually which is really fun and refreshing.

Pet Shop Boys are getting a high 3, absolutely loved a couple of these songs and the whole record could grow on me but synth pop not being my genre means the tracks that don't pop don't do it for me

shopping was really annoying. The rest was good old harmless 80s fun

Brought back some great memories. I think I had the cassette version of this I bought from some dodgy bloke selling pirates out of a suitcase in a tube station on London. The Dusty song is fire.

Amazing

14 Oct 2026 · 5/10 I'm super torn on this, I don't know what to think yet. I've saved some songs. Not sure if it's shit or good...

Ett sound som jag verkligen ogillar. Så oseriöst. Helt omöjligt att slappna av å njuta. Töntigt och barnsligt.

I'm not one usually for Synth-pop, but I found this one to be a pleasant enough listen!

Really good. I used to have a stereotype of Pet Shop Boys as tinny synthpop and emotionless delivery, but there's huge emotion and humour in there. And I'm always going to love an anti-Thatcher album.

Very much of it's era and very much PSB iconic sound. Overall I thought it hit the button as a good listen but I prefer the later Introspective album

Decent

I fucks with this heavy, actually. Made me groove at work, actually. I liked pretty much everything I was hearing here, and will need to re-listen because some of this is definitely getting added to the rotation. ACTUALLY, there was one song I didn't care for ('Heart').

This music makes me think it would be really fun to torture them like a child's hampster I guess that's why they're called pet shop boys!!! Really liked this one and the noises. Likelihood that they lezzed out IMO: 4/5 they have incredible chemistry I like it

i think it's a sin is one of the best songs of all time tbh. lots of fun bangers. everything was so gay in the 80s wish i could've been there i miss rips goth night who wanna go next Thursday

It’s clear that The Pet Shop Boys just aren’t my thing. The best indicator was what autoplayed afterward. That’s about as far from my algorithm as possible. This album was a little better than the last one, but I can’t give it a high rating. Sorry synth pop fans.

I don't think I knew any Pet Shop Boys apart from West End Girls before this. I kind of liked it! Cheesy synth pop but fun and quite interesting. Probably just a 4 for me.

Great

Electro pop that is thoughtful and timeless.

Got hyped because I loved please but this got real sleepy for me after not too long. Great band, there’s some great songwriting, the synths swell so good, but this album had me feelin real sleepy towards the second half. Still undeniably incredible work.

Talk about EIGHTIES! It's dance pop and I liked the arrangements but WOW some of the songs have not aged well. Specifically It's a Sin was a Sin to listen to. I love the eighties but I did not love this. It's fun and made me dance around at my desk though, so not all is lost.

Meh. I like New Order a lot better

Synth pop, rather boring.

Bops every now and then.

I'm pretty sure this is just English Kraftwerk with more technology. To quote two famous critics, Christgau said "pure commodity, and proud of it," while Stephen Thomas Erlewine's retrospective says this is where "the Pet Shop Boys perfected their melodic, detached dance-pop." 'Shopping' is a perfect representation of this album: it's music made by robots to buy things to. 'Rent' is the same thing, but grimmer: "I love you / you pay my rent." Is that meant to be as depressing as it feels? Probably. But satire has been dead since the time of the Greeks and I don't know if I'm giving them a pass on a full album of facetious praise of consumerism whilst the album is a carefully-planned consumerist rocket. It's somehow both genius and entirely empty, which is maybe the perfect 80's album. Jack Welch probably loves this. There are also instances of blatant rip-off in here: 'It's A Sin' entirely lifts the opening from 'Wild World' by Yusuf/Cat Stevens. As somebody who tends to despise both deliberately-made commodity music and detached pop, this really ain't it for me. It's kind of important, though -- those things are rife through pop music for a long while after. Maybe that comes from here. If that's the case, it makes it important for the same reason as Kid Rock's 1998 record, Rebel Without A Cause -- it's a microcosm of something from its time. I might despise that thing, but it's a useful one-stop-shop for your historical context. 2/5: detached commodity pop is just another way of saying "value for shareholders, not listeners" -- which makes this the epitome of music from the 1980's. If it were released today, you'd assume it was built from the ground up by an AI owned wholly by Parlophone.

Second of three Pet Shop Boys album in this experience and I think I like this one more than the first one I got. Its delightfully 80s and delightfully upbeat. A little cheesy here and there (see Shopping) and it does get a bit one note as it goes on, but I could have done a lot worse for a Tuesday (especially after getting a 5/5 album the day before) 3.5 rounded down to a 3/5

Is it Brit pop month? Why does this keep happening. Not a fan.

3/5

Was very British 80s. Some songs were pretty good

Not a fan but there are some popular hits

dancing baby.gif

Somebody loves this but not me. This just sounds like a Depeche Mode derivative.

Ca va pas trop mal mais pas ma came mais sympa

The Good: Pet Shop Boys The Bad: Pet Shop Boys The Ugly: Actually liking it... I think I am starting to suffer from new albums a day fatigue... this is album 811, however, I've had 818 presented to me, yet only rated 805... There is nothing bad about PSB, yet, there also isn't much grand about them either. They are what they are, a good example of '80s pop, of how you don't need to go over the top et al. The songs on the album, mostly, are easy to listen to... yet, if I rate this 4* then I will have to listen to it again... and I don't know if I am ready for this at this moment in time... So, they deserve 4*, but I am giving them 3*... due to fatigue...

Alright ye know. Just dragged a bit

Very of its time, decent enough. Like the Bembo

Fair play but whatever

Nothing special

It’s alright I guess. 2.5

With the exception of the catchy tune “It’s a Sin” this is lame. There was a lot to like on “Please,” which I think preceded this album, but this falls short. Understand these guys were pioneers of electronic synth music, but this record ain’t for me.

i really believe that this was too repetitive... even for an electronic album. i struggled in the back half, where every new songs i literally thought to myself "huh, this sounds familiar". its fine, and probably this is an album that works better in small doses.

Kinda middle of the road on this one. I like the synth-pop sounds, but there just aren’t many memorable songs that I’d want to come back to. Worth a listen, not a second.

So... many... UK electronic artist on this list. I hope you like their one sound because that's all you get. It's not bad, but gets old quick.

Catchy synth pop. Some of it is a bit too polished for me but nice overall.

Another crappy pet shop boys album. The lyrics are just terrible. Shopping? Paying my rent? Pretty garbage

Album #279 Pet Shop Boys: Actually Pet Shop Boys are one of my pillars of synthpop, and as a result of that, one of my favourite bands of all time. Their first five albums are brilliant, and Actually is no exception (though truthfully it may be my least favourite of the bunch). However, Actually is probably the album most representative of Pet Shop Boys' sound; it expands on the traditional synthpop style of the debut, while also starting to delve into the more dancier and sophisticated sound of their later albums. The hits all hit, and the deep cuts are also great; there is probably only one or two songs here that I wouldn’t classify on the level of the rest, which is a testament to how consistent the band was during their early run. I’m glad to receive another album from them since I do think they are quite underappreciated today and have been forgotten to some extent over time, though I am surprised that I haven’t even received any of what I consider to be their three best albums. Best Songs: It’s a Sin, Rent, What Have I Done to Deserve This? Worst Song: Shopping Score out of 10: 8

7/10

solid 3.5

A mix of good and not good songs that would have been quite fitting for the 80's Euro discothèque scene.

This is the phase of their career that they coined the term "imperial phase" to describe, and "What Have I Done to Deserve This" is my favorite song of theirs by a lot, but this probably only ends up being my third or fourth favorite album of theirs? When it was the only album of theirs that I'd heard, I didn't think I'd like them all that much, though I've come around to it a little bit lately actually! It's a good synthpop album, but I don't think it's quite the classic its reputation would say.

Enjoyed this one!!!

Well gay but actually better than I expected

The three big singles - What Have I Done?/Sin/Heart - are terrific and elevate the rest of the album, some of which are a bit of a slog.

Not bad, quite weird though.

I really tried to like this album, but it was like nails on a chalkboard for me. “King’s Cross” was decent, but that was it for me. “Rent” made me really sad. I think I am not a synth pop person and I find Pet Shop Boys very nasally. I appreciate their place in music history and how they have tackled social and political topics in their lyrics, but I will never listen to this again. For the record, I did challenge myself on my feelings about synth pop as a genre. I love Depeche Mode. I listened to some early DM after “Actually” and find that I prefer the darker, more minor sounds of DM as well as the vocals.

6.0/10. A classic example of synth-pop, it makes full use of the instrument. Bringing some catchy sounds, the lyrics don't quite do it justice unfortunately. It gets really weird at points, but it still a decent album overall, there wasn't any particularly bad songs. I could totally see these songs being played at a German nightclub today.

Not my style, but the music had a listenable quality.

Detta är min Pet Shop Boys skiva. Vilken nostalgi. Men den är för ojämn för toppbetyg. En stark fyra

man this album is alright but kinda mid in my opinion

pretty good synth-pop, some of the songs here are way better than others

3.75 rounded up to 4 because the last album I listened to was mid. Thanks Pet Shop Boys!

some parts of this sound so modern and other parts so dated. i especially liked the intro to one more chance. generally quite one note and gets a little synth exhausting with a few highlights (rent, its a sin). would give 2.5/5 if possible

Some really great stuff on here. It's A Sin is an absolute classic.

Listening to Actually feels like stepping into a time machine that runs on synths and childhood memory. I knew the Pet Shop Boys and a handful of their singles growing up in the ’80s, but this album feels like the distilled essence of everything British New Wave synth‑pop had to offer—like the decade itself has been threaded through a projector. And if I close my eyes long enough while “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” plays, I can almost see my sister sneaking out of the house: the front door easing shut in slow motion, the porch light catching the shimmer of her outfit, her friends waiting at the curb like they’re about to drive straight into the opening shot of an ’80s teen movie.

And occasional pet Shop boys song over the years is fine, but a full album of lifeless, no range singing and similar songs isn't for me.

banger on banger

This kind of music really isn't my thing, but at least I can say that the music here was not terrible. Most of the tracks feel like they could be featured in any 80's movie of the era. Just kind of a background noise to set a scene kinda thing. Against my better judgement, I'm going to add "It's a Sin" to the playlist because that was the best one on here. Whether it stays longterm will be decided later.

There's something I do find appealing about Pet Shop Boys, but it's all quite lackluster. The vocals are particularly unimpressive.

Es ist die Pet‑Shop‑Boys‑Formel in Perfektion: kühl, clever, maximal melodisch. Das Album wirkt wie ein einziger, durchkomponierter Höhenflug – Synth‑Pop mit messerscharfer Beobachtungsgabe und einer Eleganz, die bis heute nicht stumpf geworden ist. „It’s a Sin“ und „Rent“ sind triumphale Klassiker, aber die wahre Stärke liegt im konstant hohen Niveau und der Mischung aus Drama, Ironie und Pop‑Präzision 😊.

pretty good, very british

It's just kinda of another 80s record, nothing that I feel like I havnt heard before. I do think it's fun how recognisable the synths of the 80s are but it does get old at times.... Oh shit It's a Sin?! Still I maintain the same position as with Tears for Fears where in album format, some big hitters arent enough to get me to listen to a whole synthpop album.

This is a classic and defining album from the Pet Shop Boys. One thing I really appreciate about them is how they've cultivated such a distinct and instantly recognizable sound.

I’ve always thought of the pet shop boys as a singles band and this cements that view for me. Rent is a journey through a shiny soulless London, and it’s a sin is hugely camp and theatrical and benefits hugely from being so. There’s nothing wrong with the album tracks it just doesn’t match to the quality of those two songs

I’m a raver, so I always appreciate some early electronic music even if it’s dated and cheesy. Some of these songs are straight bops.

I have a little nostalgia for some of the tracks on this album but, in general, I just wish that I were listening to Flight of the Conchords instead.

Actually was actually a very enjoyable album despite its datedness. This album is from 1987 and it shows as nearly every single aspect of it just reeks of that decade from the synths, to the vocals and all the other little things like that acapella in that one track. Some of it i feel like doesn't hold up very well as they sound pretty cheesy and dated by today's standards but overall, it didn't take too much of my enjoyment away from this album. The synths are still really good and the vocals are too, even the ones Dusty Springfield provides on What Have I Done To Deserve This?. It is definitely more dated than Very but i still thought this album was very good. Best Song: One More Chance Worst Song: Heart

Listened before?: nope One More Chance - 4/5 What Have I Done to Deserve This? - 5/5 Shopping - 3/5 Rent - 4/5 Hit Music - 4/5 It Couldn't Happen Here - 3/5 It's a Sin - 4/5 I Want to Wake Up - 4/5 Heart - 4/5 King's Cross - 3/5 Average score: 3.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ not my favorite synthpop material, but i guess i liked this one a little bit better than the Very album. this just barely makes it into 4-star territory for me

I just didn’t enjoy this one unfortunately. A bit cheesy

New wave. It's okay ish. 2.7 for me

Didn't enjoy this at all. It's a Sin is great song though

It's a sin that I don't have the patience to sit through droning 80s electronica

Unlike most music in this genre this was upbeat fun and melodic.

I really want to make a joke about this album cover, but I just can't think of anything right now. I don't know why. Anyway, this album's good. It's my last Pet Shop Boys album of the project and I'd say it's probably my second favorite of the bunch, just behind Behaviour. They are neck and neck though. Actually is a fun synth-pop album, but it's not my favorite either. The production is definitely good, though I find it to be a bit much for me at times. I'm still not huge on Neil Tennant's voice, especially on this album, but it's not bad. Song-wise, you've got some all-time classics on here. "It's a Sin" is definitely the best one. The chord progression reminds me of the Evangelion theme and the lyrics are the gayest of the whole album. That's a sentence I didn't expect to ever write. Great song. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" with Dusty Springfield is quite good too. Not every song hit the same way as those two. "One More Chance" isn't the best opener I've heard and "Shopping" wasn't my thing either, but the album never gets bad. It also doesn't overstay its welcome, so that's good. Overall, Actually is another good Pet Shop boys album. Of the two that I've enjoyed the most, Actually is probably the more "definitive" Pet Shop Boys record given that its sound is closer to the typical Pet Shop Boys sound, but Behaviour does some things better, so I'll put them right next to each other in the scoring department. Those things kinda cancel each other out, you know? High 3/5.

some of my favorite Pet Shop Boys songs on here. i had this downloaded on a previous phone and played it on many road trips so the beats are all familiar.

There are such good singles here but overall I wish they dialed it all up a few notches

Uanset hvor man er får It’s a Sin en til at føle man er i London i 80’erne. Stor 3

Endnu en Pet Shop Boys banger! God energi!

(kinda boring) Hit music, in stereo

Great sound, but it gets old pretty quickly. Just in it hold up through the ears for me

Best selling Pet Shop Boys album. It's a sin.

I've listened to this three times through and each time it's grown on me. I've really enjoyed the synth and poppyness of the music. Nothing in particular stands out. It's just a solid offering.

Oh the days of being 23 and London clubbing on designer drugs...delicious times. But none of that translates the same for a 53 y/o American in 2026. Looming apprehension with the knowledge there are two more Pet Shop Boys albums yet to be heard on this list.

At times enjoyable, at times exhausting. Favourite song was Rent but ofc It's A Sin is a banger as well

Great album. Listened to it a couple of times.