It’s my birthday week, and while you’re welcome to debate whether such a construct should exist for someone well out of elementary school, I can think of no better present to myself than Format, the new Pet Shop Boys B-sides collection out now in the UK and coming soon to other territories.

Picking up where 1995’s Alternative left off, the 38-track double-disc Format gathers the veteran synthpop duo’s formal flipsides and assorted bonus tracks from singles released between 1996-2009. While Pet Shop Boys completists already count these songs in their collections (indeed I do), the real draw is the package’s exclusive interview with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. It’s wonderful to hear them recount the genesis of certain tracks and recall themes behind others, covering all 38 in some detail. The packaging is also beautifully designed as always.

To promote Format, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe also sat down for a video interview. Tackling questions about the art of the B-side, Neil delivers this choice quote: “We don’t even imagine that the record company will even listen to these songs. It’s like it’s a conspiracy between us and the fans, and there’s something very direct about that communication. And it’s quite liberating as well.” Is it any wonder that so many fans would include B-sides on a list of their favorite Pet Shop Boys tunes?

Click play to hear Pet Shop Boys pick their favorite tracks from Format, and also to discover what Neil thinks is a great theme for pop songs. For what it’s worth, I heartily second his emotion.

The tracklisting for Format is as follows:

CD1 (1996-2002)
01 “The Truck Drive And His Mate”
02 “Hit And Miss”
03 “In The Night 1995”
04 “Betrayed”
05 “How I Learned To Hate Rock & Roll”
06 “Discoteca” (New Version)
07 “The Calm Before The Storm”
08 “Confidential” (demo for Tina Turner)
09 “The Boy Who Couldn’t Keep His Clothes On”
10 “Delusions Of Grandeur”
11 “The View From Your Balcony”
12 “Disco Potential”
13 “Silver Age”
14 “Screaming”
15 “The Ghost Of Myself”
16 “Casting A Shadow”
17 “Lies”
18 “Sexy Northerner”

CD2 (2002-2009)
01 “Always”
02 “Nightlife”
03 “Searching For The Face Of Jesus”
04 “Between Two Islands”
05 “Friendly Fire”
06 “We’re The Pet Shop Boys”
07 “Transparent”
08 “I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today”
09 “The Resurrectionist”
10 “Girls Don’t Cry”
11 “In Private” (7-inch Mix, duet with Elton John)
12 “Blue On Blue”
13 “No Time For Tears” (7-inch Mix)
14 “Bright Young Things”
15 “Party Song”
16 “We’re All Criminals Now”
17 “Gin And Jag”
18 “After The Event”
19 “The Former Enfant Terrible”
20 “Up And Down”

There’s more to discover at the Pet Shop Boys’ Format microsite.

Pre-order Pet Shop Boys – Format via Amazon, which lists no firm U.S. release date, but it’s still bound to arrive sooner than Target‘s listed date of December 31, 2025. No doubt there will have been a third B-sides compilation well before then.