Even in their 33rd year, the Depeche Mode engine is running at full speed. On their now 13th studio album "Delta Machine," Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, and Andy Fletcher display a creativity and determination reminiscent of the success of their early 90s albums "Violator" and "Songs of Faith and Devotion."
"We’ve been making music together for half our lives now," explains Gore. "We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we work very well together. We’ve had our ups and downs, that’s well known, but today we are fully tapping into our potential. That wasn’t always the case."
This quality of collaboration was evident to all involved when the three met last April in Gore’s studio in Santa Barbara to begin work on "Delta Machine."
"It was the first time we listened to the demos and everyone immediately agreed on the general direction," recalls Gore. "When we start a new album, we often have a song that works quite well, but we want to take it in a different direction and improve it. We then try out ten different approaches, and there’s usually a reggae version. It never works, but we try it every time. This time, however, that process wasn’t necessary."
Moreover, the creation of "Delta Machine" was enriched by Gahan’s songwriting. Although he has been writing songs for the band since 2005, this time he exceeded even his own expectations and contributed five compositions. He was also involved in "Long Time Lie" - it was the first time that Gore and he worked together on a song.
"Martin is a great songwriter, and Alan [Wilder] wrote some pieces. I felt that wasn’t for me. In my role as frontman, there was already enough on my shoulders, and I enjoyed it. At some point, however, that wore off. I realized that I had limited myself creatively and wanted to try something new, take a risk. I moved away from the band, wrote with someone else, and stepped out of my comfort zone," says Gahan.
The term 'comfort zone' is, however, a significant understatement in this case. Over a career spanning more than three decades, the sound pioneers have sold over one hundred million records, filled most of the world’s major stadiums to capacity, and landed more than fifty hits in the USA and the UK. Yet from time to time, the original inspiration that made their rise to the top possible needs a refresh.
"After the end of the 'Sounds Of The Universe' tour, I promised myself that I would take a break," says Gahan. "But I got distracted from that plan and recorded an album with the Soulsavers. The songwriting with the Soulsavers was such a satisfying experience that my enthusiasm was rekindled to continue writing. I returned to my band with a fresh perspective."
"I couldn’t finish the songs quickly enough and didn’t have to force myself at all. Once I had a melody in my head, the words flowed in, and I recorded the song quickly. I just let it flow through me. I don’t sit down and write words on a piece of paper. The music dictates them to me. Does that sound somewhat understandable?"
Remarkably, his pieces now fit seamlessly alongside Gore’s compositions. They fit together so well that one would have difficulty saying which song belongs to whom. "We never talk about lyrical content before we start. It just comes naturally," explains Gore. "Since we work as a band in the studio, Dave’s songs ultimately sounded very similar and fit seamlessly with the rest of the album."
However, on "Delta Machine," Depeche Mode made a slight course correction. "We experimented with many ideas and waited for the songs to take shape before we named the album. This time, a strong blues influence was palpable, a kind of 'Delta blues thing,' a creeping, greasy, and somewhat dirty atmosphere," explains Gahan.
"But I wouldn’t say we made a blues album," counters Gore. "It’s simply our version of blues. We’ve been working on our kind of blues for a long time. If you look back at 'Violator,' you’ll notice that there are some songs that are very bluesy, and that continues on 'Songs of Faith And Devotion' and 'Ultra.' We’re making it more our own now than before and manifesting it in the title as well."
"When we go into the studio, we have a producer and a team that ultimately works on the album," says Andy Fletcher. "The job of the team is to get the best out of the song. When we listened to all the pieces at the end, we were not only excited about the quality but also about the direction in which everything was going."
"As for the album title – I like this 'machine and nature' idea. The organic combined with the inorganic," says Gore. As Depeche’s number one synthesizer specialist, it’s no wonder he feels a certain sentimentality when it comes to technology. "The blues influence is clearly present," says Gahan. "What connects the songs is their cry for help. That’s also an element of blues. You lament your suffering, but through the music, you are somehow redeemed from it."
This is evident, among other things, in the heat-inducing "Slow," which Gore wrote back during the "Songs of Faith And Devotion" era but never recorded, in the equally nervous-anxious yet hot-blooded "Goodbye," or in Gahan’s "Broken From The Start," and of course in "Heaven," the album’s first single.
"‘Heaven‘ is one of the reasons why I still make music," enthuses Gahan. "From time to time, a song comes along – hopefully, I’ll write one like that myself – that I just have to sing. It feels like putting on a pair of boots that I’ve worn for years. It just fits. The song is the centerpiece of the album."
"We are responsible for the machine part on 'Delta Machine' – the way we create the music, how we use the machines," Gahan continues. "We take the elements of the songs and songwriting that come from the blues and turn them upside down. Led Zeppelin took the blues and turned up the volume, the Stones made it simply cooler, and I think we’ve done everything to completely mess it up and redirect it in a not-so-simple direction."
They received help with this task. Once again, they brought in Ben Hillier as producer. He was also the man behind the last two albums "Playing The Angel" and "Sounds Of The Universe."
"He knew how far we had come and that we absolutely could not repeat ourselves. We had to do something that challenged us. That’s why we chose Ben, because we wanted to evolve and the album should be less 'cinematic' and much more direct," says Gore.
"Traditionally, Depeche Mode has always worked with many producers, but when we met to discuss a new album, we felt that Ben (Hillier) was the right man for it. He suggested having Flood mix it, and the result is simply wonderful," adds Fletcher.
"Delta Machine" fulfills its purpose: it paves a new way for one of the most influential bands in the world, who have inspired artists from Coldplay to The Killers to MGMT with their music. Although they once gave themselves a name that implies the transience of fashion, their career spanning over three decades and their still immensely high level of creativity clearly underline that they are anything but a fleeting trend.
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