Depeche Mode is enjoying a newfound legion of listeners following the first episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, and are using the momentum wisely as the band has released their latest song, “Ghosts Again.”
The Last of Us featuring their hit “Never Let Me Down Again” saw a huge surge in listens, and thus makes it a perfect time to release the first track for Memento Mori.
The English new wave band are deep into preparations for their next world tour to promote their new album Memento Mori, and have now released their first single off the album. “Ghosts Again” harkens back in particular to their album Playing the Angel, which featured lyrics heavily based around sobering up and looking back with slight disdain and regret at your past.
The music video is directed by their frequent collaborator Anton Corbijn, who has directed some of their greatest ever music videos such as “Enjoy the Silence”, Halo, “A Question of Time”, and “Behind the Wheel”. Featuring several allusions to Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, it heavily features two men playing chess, death, and rebirth. All very classic Depeche Mode fare.
“Ghosts Again” has been well-received by fans, with many ecstatic to see the band back again following six years after their last release, the highly political and Brexit-shaped Spirit from 2017. Depeche Mode lost one of its founding members last year with Andy Fletcher’s death, whose passing influenced the decision to name the album after the Latin phrase for “remember you must die”.
Fletcher’s absence is felt throughout the music video, with it feeling as though Corbijn focused on mourning as a theme, and the music video feels like a tribute to their close friend.
Impressive is how Depeche Mode managed to keep the same feeling about their music some forty years after their first album. Masters of their craft, Memento Mori could be the one to secure them a first Grammy following several nominations without a win.
Memento Mori isn’t far off its release, with it penciled in for a March 24 drop date across all major streaming platforms.
Published: Feb 9, 2023 10:33 pm