‘Memento Mori’ due in spring 2023
Depeche Mode are set to release their 15th studio album, titled ‘Memento Mori’, in spring 2023 – their first without founding member Andy Fletcher, who passed away earlier this year. Making the announcement at a press conference in Berlin – with a teaser film and snippets of audio – Dave Gahan and Martin Gore revealed that they’d been working on the album for two years, and would be heading to New York to oversee the final tracks.
“We’re quite far into it now, the actual recording process,” said Gore. “We’ve got all of the tracks finished, without them being mixed. We started work on the project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”
The pair also revealed that they’ll be undertaking a lengthy American and European tour, with long-standing collaborator, photographer and film director Anton Corbijn, working on album and performance visuals. Starting in North America on 23 March, the tour will include dates at London’s Twickenham Stadium and the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona.
“Fletch would have loved this album,” said Gahan. “We can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year. [Fletch] will be there in spirit, I’m sure, judging us.”
