Introspective

Introspective reversed the usual order of pop. Instead of an album of three to five minute songs followed by long remixes on singles, it was an album whose six tracks all run past six minutes, and the singles such as Always on My Mind and Domino Dancing were issued in shorter, radio-friendly mixes beforehand. Only two of the tracks were written for it: Left to My Own Devices and Domino Dancing. Always on My Mind and It's Alright are cover versions, I Want a Dog had been a B-side of Rent, and I'm Not Scared is their own version of a song written for Patsy Kensit's group Eighth Wonder. Always on My Mind was re-recorded and joined to a new acid-house track, In My House.

Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson produced Left to My Own Devices and It's Alright, Lewis A. Martineé produced Domino Dancing, and Frankie Knuckles mixed I Want a Dog. The album was released on 10 October 1988 and peaked at number two in Britain behind U2's Rattle and Hum. Speaking at the Oxford Union, Tennant said he regretted releasing it so soon after Actually, since the 12-inch nature of the songs may have put some fans off, but he also said it remains their best-selling album internationally.