Throughout their decades-spanning career in the music biz, Pet Shop Boys have always operated within the realm of sophisticated synth-pop that advocates varying degrees of dancefloor abandon. For lyricist Neil Tennant and composer Chris Lowe, however, it's not just about the allure of club culture or pure hedonism. From day one, social consciousness gets woven into the sonic fabric of their music. "In a West End town, a dead-end world/ The East End boys and West End girls," Tennant sings about the class and wealth gap on their 1984 debut single West End Girls.

What would follow over the next three decades are stories of economic struggle, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), Rent, and a never-ending quest for utopia, Se A Vida (That's The Way Life Is), Go West, mixed with your regular romantic woes, I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More. Last year also saw the release of Agenda, the four-track EP which marks the first time that Tennant and Lowe straight-up expressed their political angst, lashing out against Brexit and right-wing populism.

Some of these topics remain constant on the duo's 14th album proper, Hotspot. The Stuart Price-produced outing, recorded at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, sees the London pair professing their love for clubbing and for the German capital itself. Tennant starts this off by recounting his encounter with a beautiful hedonist on a train. "You were always such a free spirit Will you recognise me today? Give me a smile for old time's sake/ Before you run away," he sings on the synth-laden Will-O-The-Wisp.

Against a backdrop to the PSB-certified disco jaunt, the story continues to arc on You Are The One and Wedding In Berlin with the local neighbourhoods providing a cohesive scene ("Drivingdownto Zehlendorf/ Lie bythe lake on a summer afternoon Back into Mitte to see a film/ About love and liberation"). Elsewhere, euphoric 90s Euro-dance takes the shape of Happy People and Dreamland, the latter touching on anti-Brexit sentiments and featuring an exchange between Tennant and Years & Years' vocalist Olly Alexander.

Sevdaliza / Oh My God

"Oh my God, who should I be?/ What is it you want when you come for me?" Sevdaliza's latest offering,Oh My God, begins with her distorted vocals coupled with nimble synths. "Everytime, you're another evil/ Waitingfor an angel that you bringto hell." Although this is not the first time the Iranian-Dutch singer-songwriter has explored the duality between two extremes, she uses it in such a way that it highlights the general political hopelessness (and, perhaps on a more personal level, the ever-increasing tension between her motherland and the US). The minor-key production and skittering beats work in tandem to echo this bleakness, with an underlying sense of cautious optimism ("Roamin' in the fields of hope/ Will it make or break me?/ As my dreams are heavy, they outweigh me").

Yena / Islam Hai Kord Ook

After touching on topics like social hierarchy and capitalism in their previous singles, Thai three-piece Yena turn their focus to everyday discrimination in social and religious spheres on their latest,Islam Hai Kord Ook. What happens if the very institution that's meant to foster social harmony is the one that does the exact opposite? This question is explored through the track's nuanced yet vivid lyrics that are not too far removed from reality. "At the school assembly on the morning of a Buddhist Holy Day, men clad in yellow robes slowly entered," vocalist Kul sings, setting the scene. "Then the teacher shouted, 'If you're a Muslim, cross your arms over your chest!'."

TOPS / I Feel Alive

Montreal's four-piece TOPS may have described their sound as "a raw punk take on AM studio pop", but their music, as evinced by the previous two albums, stretches far beyond those two genres. The latest evidence arrives in the form of the new singleI Feel Alive, a breezy pop jam that could have been made back in the late 80s/early 90s. "I feelalive looking in your eyes," vocalist Jane Penny enthuses alongside lush vocal harmonies in one of the catchiest hooks we've had the pleasure of hearing so far this year. The track is a harbinger of their new album of the same name, which is poised to drop in April.

Caribou / Never Come Back

If Caribou's previously shared singlesHomeandYou And Ihinted at anything at all, it would be the fact that Canadian producer Dan Snaith's first album in five years will see him in what could be described as throwback mode. So far we've heard him dabbling in an eclectic mix of retro funk, neo-soul and synth-pop. And now with new cutNever Come Back, we're taken on a time machine back to the early 90s dancefloor when house music was at its peak. Think massive Eurodance-esque synth chords, plus Snaith's warm, repeated refrain.

Little Dragon / Hold On

Next month will see the release of Little Dragon's albumNew Me, Same Us, which will serve as their sixth studio album after 2017'sSeason High. Before that, however, we're getting a glimpse of what's to come in the form of first singleHold On. Loaded with their readily recognisable blend of funk, R&B and electronica, the track finds the Gothenburg-based outfit pairing an infectious groove with a message of conscious uncoupling. "No regrets, though the pain will heal/ Please accept why we're standing still/ I wish you happiness, joy/ Good fortune, boy," frontwoman Yukimi Nagano sings before slipping into lush vocalisation shadowed by a playful synth line.

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Go further west - Bangkok Post