Depeche Mode – Ghosts Again Review

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Dragging Ingmar Bergman into the synthpop and alternative dance structures is a far stronger move than Woody Allen ever made. Dedications to death and an understanding of it flow through this latest Depeche Mode track, Ghosts Again. Their introspective thumps from this single, ahead of Memento Mori’s release, is as promising as it gets for the return of one of England’s finest. It has not been so long since Depeche Mode last released an album, but it has been some time since they released a track that felt this important and relevant. Challenging their sound is key to this release, and while Ghosts Again may feel tepid in places, the powerful synth and the comfortable structure allow Martin L. Gore and Dave Gahan to push forward. 

Doing so is underscored, regardless of intent or not, by the death of Andrew Fletcher. Depeche Mode is never the brooding type, but their feelings of grief can certainly apply here. Blurring the line between bouncy, upbeat instrumentals and darker, poignant lyrics, is a tough draw. Gore and Gahan make it sound easy. Bittersweet reflections are piled higher and higher as the synth core finds its place and the comfort of it takes hold. Steady momentum pushes this latest track through for Depeche Mode, a piece that moves them further and further away from their Violator high. Credit to them, they have not done what so many of their comrades in 1980s arms would do and repeat their sound. 

Relying on some new thought and chain of events is what keeps Depeche Mode relevant. Their synth-pop bedfellows Pet Shop Boys do much the same, and in keeping the music personal, they push through with relevance and a crucial poignancy not expected of larger synthpop-led acts. Ghosts Again deals with its mortality with a fine mixture backing some shared responsibilities from Gore and Gahan in the vocals. Frankly Bono-levels in some places, their vocal range has not betrayed them and Depeche Mode carries themselves well as they contemplate the future and reflect on the past. Every artist does so at some point, the legacy considered on the fabric of their tracks, and for Depeche Mode, that means marking an interest in the next phase of their career. Those next steps, the fleeting time and those “next steps” Gore and Gahan mention, are worked over with a crucial, touching effect. 

Ghosts Again is a credit to the pacing and structure of synthpop from Depeche Mode. It channels an upbeat creativity but holds itself firm to the darker implications, the brooding reflections that inevitably come after losing someone close and looking ahead to see the road is much shorter. Depeche Mode does well to shed whatever previous image they were holding. It certainly gives fans holding onto Violator a run for their money. Rightly so. Living in the past is no excuse for a lack of growth, and while Depeche Mode is keen to prove they are refreshed and ready for a new challenge, it is up to them to convince their hardcore, constant listeners of that. Ghosts Again drives a hard bargain.