In pop music, few acts have enjoyed the enduring love and devotion of gay fans like Erasure. Since the release of their debut album, Wonderland nearly 25 years ago, the duo of openly gay singer Andy Bell and straight musician Vince Clarke has racked up an impressive catalogue of classic pop hits including “Oh L’Amour,” “Sometimes,” “A Little Respect,” “Always,” “I Could Fall In Love With You,” and of course the smash cover of Abba’s “Take a Chance on Me.”

Though Bell and Clarke continue to working on the next Erasure album, the distinctive singer is stepping out on his own for a second time with his new album, Non Stop, set for release June 7, featuring the single “Call On Me.” (Video below)

“Erasure is a going concern still,” Bell said in recent interview with abOUT.

“I asked Vince a couple years ago just if I could take a break from Erasure. It seem like it had been a long time. We had done 13 albums together the whole time, toured everywhere. I started to take a step back from the whole thing, then lo and behold I went straight back into writing songs again with other people. I feel like a little puppy being let off the leash really, being able to do my own stuff.”

Bell says working on his own material poses a bit of a challenge considering his long history with Erasure. He co-wrote the entire album with Pascal Gabriel, the Belgian-born studio wizard, formerly of U.K. group S’Express, who produced remixes for Erasure in the ‘80s and collaborated with the likes of New Order, Kylie Minogue and Little Boots. The pair set out to make an album that was as different from Erasure as possible.

“We did some writing together in his house in France and we just hit it off really quickly. He’s a Cancer like Vince. He loves his toys and his synthesizers and stuff. We just really clicked together,” Bell said.

“We purposely made it not sound like Erasure if that’s possible, though as soon as people hear my voice, they instantly think Erasure. We tried to make it histrionic, but sometimes I just can’t help it.”

Working with Gabriel was a much different process than Bell is used to with Clarke, which he says helped bring out a different side of him and a more personal set of music.

“It’s more like a sort of diary I suppose. Working with Pascal the whole time, he really kept me on my toes. Vince and I write separately, so I tend to get a bit lazy.”

Fans of Erasure certainly won’t be put off by Bell’s second solo outing. The songs, including “Will You Be There” and the title track are still genuine, enjoyable pop songs even though the sound is decidedly more electronic than those for what Erasure is known. It’s a higher tempo Depeche Mode (of which Clarke was a founding member) rather than Erasure and will most definitely find a home on the dance floors – just the way Bell likes it.

“I’m in a really happy place. I just really love dance music and I love going out and having a good bop and I hope that’s how it feels to fans.”

Bell’s new album comes as he and Clarke are set to mark a very important milestone – 25 years of hitmaking. Though their first single, “Who Needs Love Like That,” marked their entry into the music scene in 1985, it wasn’t until the following year and the release of their debut album Wonderland that they became pop sensations.

It’s a milestone that both surprises Bell and makes him very proud, particularly given their incredible playlist of singles remain every bit as popular today as they were throughout this last quarter century.

“I do moan because I don’t think we get the recognition on the radio and stuff like that and on the TV. I suppose, in some respects, that’s why the songs don’t get worn out and people do hear them in the clubs or at a friend’s house. I guess that makes the songs more of a celebration because people were together when hearing them. I’m blown away.”

In concert, like the widely successful True Colors Tour in 2006, fans are generally up on their feet dancing and singing from the first note until they take their final bows.

“I just can’t believe it that people still come and see us.”

And speaking of the True Colors Tour, Bell has nothing but high praise for the creator of that tour and recent contestant on Celebrity Apprentice – the legendary Cyndi.

“I think she’s fantastic, Her personality is incredible. She is like a whirling dervish. She’s really sincere in what she’s doing (for the gay community). And she has an incredible voice, she’s very operatic. I think that she deserves everything that she has. I think it’s incredible what she does for the gay community.”

He also acknowledges that he, himself, is considered an important gay icon after becoming one of the first pop stars to come out of the closet and one of the first to acknowledge publicly he is HIV-positive. Unlike many who come out after the height of their fame has passed, Bell is happy with his decision to do so while his star was rising.

“When you see someone like Ricky Martin they come out after all these years and they grab all the headlines and you think: ‘Hold on for a minute, something’s not right here.’ I think the way that we did it is the correct way. Maybe we don’t have the mass coverage the way others do, but I like the way it is.”

Following the release of Non Stop, Bell plans to reunite with Clarke to continue writing for the next Erasure project. He is also hoping to perform in North America in June at annual Pride festivals “doing some DJ work and maybe some singing in between.”