It has taken the group Depeche Mode six years to give birth to new songs, an intense and also dramatic period of time, marked by the pandemic and, above all, the death last year of Andy Fletcher, charismatic visible leader and keyboardist of the formation. After the logical impact, Martin Gore and Dave Gahan finally decided to go ahead with the project, that is to say, to record the new album Memento mori (Sony), which will see the light tomorrow Friday and six years after their previous Spirit. And they will return to the stage, as can be seen at the next Primavera Sound festival, both in Barcelona and Madrid, where they are headliners. Martin Gore explains via zoom this little epic.
Why such an “optimistic” title as Memento mori?
About a year ago, when we had practically all the songs written, one day I remembered this expression, which means “remember that you will die” and, since many of the songs revolve around or touch on the theme of death, I thought that it was a perfect, powerful title for the album.
Are songs influenced by the severity of the coronavirus?
The pandemic had a big effect on the themes of the album, and so did the fact that I turned sixty in 2020. That for me was a decisive moment. My stepfather died when I was 61, and my biological father at 68 and that, like it or not, goes through your head. And the idea is this, that we should all make the most of our time here, which is very limited. You have to live life, the moment. And now that Andy is gone, you see everything much closer.
The composition process started in a not typical way.
Yes. Richard Butler, of the Psychedelic Furs, proposed to me in the first days of the pandemic to compose a song together. Why not? He sent me some lyrics, I put music to them and put them back, and so we made half a dozen songs, which are on the album. But actually, when we started writing them we were thinking that it would probably be a parallel project of both of us, but the songs took on a dimension that I loved. And there came a point when I asked Richard if, as crazy as it might sound, he would be fine with the songs being on a Depeche Mode record. It made him very happy that I thought this, he told me that he felt very grateful.
And those songs served another important purpose, didn’t they?
Yes, because due to the pandemic and the forced change of habits, Dave [Gahan] came to consider not continuing with the band, he didn’t feel like making new music. But when I sent him the new tracks, he changed his mind and, among other things, he started to thread the needle again and started making those very attractive songs that are on the album.
How did the sudden death of Andy Fletcher in May 2022 affect this whole process?
In fact, all the songs were already written and the title of the album was chosen before Andy died. He was scheduled to record them with us, we had planned the appointment for just six weeks after his death. When it happened, we had to make a decision: continue with the project and schedule, or let it run its course. And we decided to keep going because we thought it was better for our mental health to focus on the music we love. I mean, we had to continue as Depeche Mode for the sake of our sanity. But it will be difficult, especially when we play live, because every night there will be a void on the stage where Andy used to be.
In their return to live shows, like the next Primavera Sound, will they focus on their new album?
For sure we won’t play the whole new album. We love the new album, we’ll do something about it, but there will be a lot of songs from our catalog over the years.
What is the formula for Depeche Mode’s concerts to have such an intergenerational audience?
If I could tell him what the formula is, I’d be immensely rich right now, ha ha ha. No idea. But related to that, I don’t know if this Memento mori will reach a lot of people, but I notice that the first single we got out of it, Ghosts again, is possibly the most appropriate thing we’ve done in a long time for the track. A round topic.
When you hear that Depeche Mode is the most important electronic music band in history, what do you notice?
Well I think people have forgotten Kraftwerk and a few other bands.
