43 years might be enough. In 1981, Depeche Mode released their first full-length album, Speak & Spell, and have since put out 14 more studio records. The band has had numerous top-20 singles in the US and UK, and live they are seemingly only getting better. But at some point, bands stop making music.
The trick with Depeche Mode compared to most other bands who have been around for four decades is that Dave Gahan and Martin Gore still turn out exciting new music. Not often, mind you. The duo only put out a new album every four years between 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion and 2017's Spirit. There were six years between Spirit and 2023's Memento Mori. But wil there be any new music from Depeche Mode ever again?
Maybe not. In a recent interview with NME, Gahan said he had recently spoken with Gore while both were on a trip to see a friend have his marriage vows renewed and the conversation between the two was not one that yielded future plans on getting into the studio. Gore, the band's main songwriter since 1982's A Broken Frame, apparently has not even thought of writing songs.
Dave Gahan pushes pause on any hope for a Depeche Mode album coming out any time soon
Gahan said, "Martin and I have talked. We actually saw each other recently, and it was really nice. We spent some time in Italy where Anton Cobijn and his wife were renewing their wedding vows in a really nice spot just outside of Rome. We had a really nice time without any work or show pressure. I actually did ask Martin if he’d been writing and he was like, ‘Nah!’"
There is some positive news. While Gahan and Gore were a trio with Andrew Fletcher for most of the last three decades, Fletcher passed away in 2022. If Depeche Mode is going to make new songs then it would always just be up to Gahan and Gore. There are fewer people who have to make a decision on what to do next. Early long-time member Alan Wilder left the band in 1995.
The band's history of releasing albums every four years or so means fans can feel safe waiting around for a potentially new record. If one does not arrive by 2028 then maybe fans can begin to fret. By that time, both Gahan and Gore would be in their late 60s and they might have simply said they have had enough.
Gahan did offer a bit of hope, though. He added, "(The length of time between albums is) normal – especially when you’ve worked intensely for a couple of years. It takes a while. Wait and see. I wouldn’t rule out us getting together at some point, but it’s not on the cards at this point."