Dave Gahan Says New Depeche Mode Music Is ‘Not on the Cards’

Fans hoping for new Depeche Mode music may need to temper expectations.

During a recent conversation with NME, frontman Dave Gahan noted the band was in no hurry to follow up 2023’s Memento Mori.

“Martin and I have talked,” Gahan confirmed, referring to bandmate and fellow songwriter Martin Gore. “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.”

Of course, Gahan couldn’t totally avoid discussing work while catching up with Gore.

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Depeche Mode Album

“I actually did ask Martin if he’d been writing and he was like, ‘Nah!’” the singer recalled. “That’s 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.”

Dave Gahan Will Perform at the Mark Lanegan Tribute Concert

While Gahan may not have any Depeche Mode-related plans, the singer is still staying busy. He’ll be performing at the all-star Mark Lanegan tribute concert, taking place in London on Dec. 5.

“For me, he’s right up there as a 20th and 21st Century voice and writer,” Gahan said of the former Screaming Trees singer, who died in 2022. “We talk about the Nick Caves and Johnny Cashes of this world in terms of what a voice can do. There are few of them, but Mark is at the top of that list.”

READ MORE: How Depeche Mode Found Their ‘Personal Jesus’ in Elvis Presley

Gahan also recalled spending time with Lanegan when the two were on tour together in 2009.

“His music changed the way I think about music, songs, songwriting and the use of your voice as an instrument to create this amazing cinematic story,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer admitted. “Even if you’re not interested in what he was saying in any particular phrase, there was just something about the way he opened his mouth. I was completely engaged.”