Vince Clarke, of Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure, has joined up with Blancmange’s Neil Arthur and British electronic producer Benge for a new covers project. The self-titled album from Doublespeak features analog synth renditions of songs by ABBA, the Carpenters, Young Marble Giants, and the Magnetic Fields, among others. It’s out May 29 on London Records. Below, hear Clarke, Arthur, and Benge’s version of Fad Gadget’s “Back to Nature,” the second-ever single released by Mute in 1979.
“I knew so little about some of these songs that they were like demos to me,” Clarke said in a press statement. “They felt like brilliant new songs that you want to get your hands on. I’ve had people do cover versions of my songs and honestly there’s no better tribute. So that’s what we wanted to do here.”
Erasure, the synth-pop duo of Clarke and Andy Bell, most recently shared The Neon and its companion album, Day-Glo (Based on a True Story), in 2020 and 2022, respectively. In 2023, Clarke put out his first solo LP, Songs of Silence.
Read about Erasure’s 1986 single “Oh L’Amour” in 50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride.
Doublespeak:
01 Back to Nature (Fad Gadget cover)
02 Brand New Life (Young Marble Giants cover)
03 The Visitors (ABBA cover)
04 I Can’t Escape Myself (The Sound cover)
05 Goodbye to Love (The Carpenters cover)
06 Rock On (David Essex cover)
07 Smoke and Mirrors (The Magnetic Fields cover)
08 Day Breaks, Night Heals (Thomas Leer and Robert Rental cover)
09 Gentle on My Mind (John Hartford cover)
10 Richard! (Ed Dowie cover)
11 End Credits (Laptop cover)
