In a thing on the official PSB website, Neil explains:

“‘Electric’ (and all future releases by us) will be released on our own new label through Kobalt Label Services. The label is called x2 (“Times two”). Chris thought of the mathematically inspired name. Maybe we’ll also release music by other artists on it in the future. Anything is possible.”

Well that could be quite exciting couldn’t it.

The band have also announced more details of ‘Electric’ – all those are here in case you missed them.

The artwork is the blue thing you will see to your right.

Example appears on a song called ‘Thursday’, Bruce Springsteen cover ‘The Last To Die’ (as performed live on recent dates) is track six, the amazing italotronic teaser track from last month is really called ‘Axis’ and opens the album, there’s a Boys Noize mix of ‘Axis’ on its way, the whole thing’s out on July 15, and you can pre-order it on iTunes right now.

Neil and Chris told a press release that “‘Electric’ is very much set on the dance floor,” adding: “Our latest album often evolves as a response to our previous album and, whereas ‘Elysium’ had a reflective mood, ‘Electric’ is pretty banging! [TRANSLATION: GET ON YOUR DANCING SHOES] And working with Stuart Price on a studio album is something we have wanted to do for a very long time.”

In further copy and paste action, Stuart Price adds: “Making ‘Electric’ was an exciting experience. We recorded it between Berlin, London and Los Angeles using various techniques between old school synth and drum machine programming and new school computer mangling. For me it was a chance to work with two people who shaped so much of my musical taste, yet who keep on pushing farther in both a natural and unexpected fashion. ‘Disco’ (from 1986) was an album that always spoke to me because it blended song arrangements with dance floor mixes, and that is what ‘Electric’ felt like to make. Allowing songs to be full length without considering the pop rules, disregarding classic structures and instead just working instinctively on what was fun and danceable.”

The full tracklisting, meanwhile, is:

1. Axis
2. Bolshy
3. Love Is A Bourgeois Concept
4. Flourescent
5. Inside A Dream
6. The Last To Die
7. Shout In The Evening
8. Thursday
9. Vocal

The page that all this info has come from claims that a video for ‘Axis’ should be here although at the time of writing that’s just a private video. Perhaps it will have magically sprung to life by the time you read this.

Finally, there is a new photo, which we have enlarged for you so that it fits the usual width we use for images on Popjustice. If you’re unhappy about the quality, simple take a few steps back from your computer or ‘mobile device’.

THE BOY CAP IS BACK.

It’s not quite as extreme as that We Plants Are Happy Plants mix of Daft Punk’s 15-second album teaser, but here’s a fanmade full-length version (the ‘EqPoint Mix’ if you please) of the 44-second ‘Electric’ teaser track Pet Shop Boys put online last week.

It’s quite good in an Italotronic, ‘Cosmotron’-meets-’Relentless’ kind of way.

It’ll do for now.

FOR NOW.

UPDATE: This one is better.

(Thanks to @jlSVNDOVAL for the tipoff!)

The new album – due in June – was produced by Stuart Price, which seems like a good idea does it not.

Here’s what Neil and indeed Chris had to say about it all:

“This is a very exciting point in our careers. We are hugely proud of the new album and are very pleased to be working in conjunction with Kobalt. We’d like to thank everyone we’ve worked with at Parlophone over the last 28 years both in the UK and abroad.

“When we signed to the label in 1985 we had no idea how long and successful a relationship we were embarking on. However it is also exciting now to commence a new phase working with a new team in a new business structure and we look forward to a creative and equally fulfilling relationship with Kobalt.”

A little light on LOLs as press statements go, but not to worry. There’s also a tour of course, which starts on June 18 at the 02.

EDIT: There’s now a fancy trailer for the album, which you can watch below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNliJ66WbbU

As well as playing some songs on a stage in London and Manchester this summer, the ‘Leaving’ hitmakers have announced the following dates:

Wednesday 5th June 2013 – Crocus Hall, Moscow, Russia

Monday 1st July 2013 - Dortmunder Music Week, Dortmund, Germany

Tuesday 9th July 2013 - ZMF, Freiburg, Germany

Wednesday 10th July 2013 - Tollwood Festival, Munich, Germany

Apparently more dates are still to be announced, including shows in America.

According to the press release the tour will “will highlight the duo’s electronic music and style”, which sounds quite agreeable.

Excitingly, the music for the shows will be handled by Stuart Price and they’ll also be working again with creative director and set designer Es Devlin and Tony award-nominated stage director and choreographer Lynne Page (they all ‘helped out’ with the Pandemonium tour).

Here are the dates that have been announced so far:

• The O2, London – Tuesday June 18, 2013
• Arena, Manchester – Thursday June 20, 2013

Tickets go on pre-sale on Thursday and proper sale on Saturday. There’s more information here.

Blimey!