Elysium is the eleventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Released on September 5, 2012, it was their final album with Parlophone for 12 years. The album was recorded in 2012 in Los Angeles and produced by Andrew Dawson and Pet Shop Boys.
Pet Shop Boys began writing the songs for Elysium in Berlin over a period of five weeks in early 2011. Most of the album was written during their Progress Live concert tour with Take That from May to July 2011. In January 2012, they traveled to Los Angeles to work with American producer Andrew Dawson for three months. They were interested in Dawson after seeing his name in the credits for Kanye West's albums 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Chris Lowe described Elysium as having a similar feel to Behaviour (1990), but with a "sonically very different" approach. The duo considered naming the album Happy Sad but chose Elysium after a walk in Elysian Park in Los Angeles. Lyrically, the album reflects their stage in life and what they do.
Elysium was released in Japan on September 5, 2012, followed by Germany and most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on September 7. The United Kingdom, France, and South America saw the release on September 10, and the United States and Canada received it on September 11. The album was available in two CD formats: a single CD and a special double-CD edition that included instrumental versions of each song. A double-vinyl album was released in limited quantities, also featuring the instrumental versions.
