One might argue that death has always been near top-of-mind for Depeche Mode, but that was particularly the case during sessions for the band's latest album, Memento Mori.
Band members Andy Fletcher, David Gahan and Martin Gore started writing for the new album during the throes of the COVID pandemic, and then as they were about to start recording it, Fletcher passed away suddenly in May of 2022.
The phrase memento mori is Latin for "remember that you will die."
In conversation with Q104.3's Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke, Gore explains that the band began discussing album titles last spring. The title phrase arrived in the band's orbit a matter of week's before Andy's death.
"For me, it kind of cemented the idea that we should be calling the album that because, you know, it's a reminder that life's short — to make the most of it," he says.
Andy passed only six weeks before the band was due to begin recording Memento Mori. Gore says he and Gahan came close to hitting the brakes on the project. But ultimately, the pair felt the healthiest way to mourn their late-bandmate of 42 years would be through music.
"I think we decided that mentally it was probably better for us to actually carry on and do something that we know and understand and focus on making music, you know, the thing we're both very passionate about," Gore added. "I think that helped us kind of get over our grief a bit."
Watch the full conversation via the player above.
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Watch the official music video for "Ghosts Again" below: