[5] During a ten-day session in November 2018, they used the studio's analogue equipment to give Hotspot a different quality from the digital sound of the previous two albums.

Neil Tennant described the opening track, "Will-o-the-Wisp", as a queer song that imagines the author Christopher Isherwood encountering an ex-boyfriend from his 1939 autobiographical novel Goodbye to Berlin years later on a U-Bahn train.

Chris Lowe cited the studio's experience with making R&B, hip-hop, and contemporary pop records as an influence on the sound of Hotspot, which he called "a transitioning album.

[17] An expanded package was issued on 25 October on CD, digital, and 12-inch vinyl formats, featuring remixes and two new songs: "No Boundaries", from the play My Beautiful Laundrette, and "An Open Mind".

[2] "Monkey Business" was released on 2 January 2020, with a full single package coming out on 7 February on CD, digital, and 12-inch vinyl formats, including remixes by Prins Thomas and DJ Friend Within and a new song, "At Rock Bottom".

[19] "I Don't Wanna" was released on 24 April 2020 on CD, digital, and 12-inch vinyl, with remixes by Mano Le Tough and David Jackson plus the song "New Boy", which was originally written in 1984.

[26] Ross Horton of The Line of Best Fit rated Hotspot an 8 out of 10, calling it "a stylistically diverse, risk-taking album that draws on so much of the band's back catalogue that there’s at least one thing here for everyone" but noted that fans of Electric and Super "might be taken (slightly) aback by the more relaxed, nuanced feel of Hotspot, which feels more considered and thoughtful than any PSB album since their 1990 magnum opus, Behaviour".

[35] Christina Lambert of the Washington Blade concluded: "Without question, "Hotspot" is an overall win, an absolute treat to spend time with and a satisfying conclusion to their Price collaboration.

No matter what direction they head next, Pet Shop Boys are still here, still relevant, still masters at balancing powerful pop with insightful message, here with a little more gravitas.

[4] Gary Ryan of NME felt that Hotspot "proves they've lost none of their magic touch", giving it 4 out of 5 stars, with the "minor criticism" that it "feels comfortably familiar business as usual.