Synth & Swagger

Artist Spotlight

Depeche Mode: Broken Synths to Black Cathedrals
Explore Depeche Mode’s transformation through their essential songs: from '80s raw synth beginnings to global synthpop icons in the '90s, weaving darkness, devotion, and sonic reinvention.

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Narration generated from Jason's podcast recordings

More Depeche Mode

People Are People - in Songs of 1984
Enjoy The Silence - in Del Shannon: Proto-Depeche Mode?
More Than a Party - in Halloween Songs
Home - in Songs About Home & Family
Photographic - in Deep Cuts ('79 to '81)
Flexible - in Headscratchers 2: More New Wave Weirdness
Enjoy The Silence - in Modern Songs That Sound Like New Wave Classics
Everything Counts - in Synthpop - How It's Different From New Wave
Never Let Me Down Again - in A Song is a Friend You Haven't Met Yet

EXPLORE ARTISTS

Naked Eyes Peter Schilling The Human League

Include my spoken commentary

Play a song excerpt and watch our observations appear in sync with the music

People Are People

Everything Counts 🔒

Leave in Silence 🔒

Master and Servant 🔒

A post-Clarke track with rare optimismWatch the commentary unfold alongside the music

Social commentary that early Depeche Mode dabbled inSong preview available, commentary is in the Vault

Early song that would inform their descent to darknessSong preview available, commentary is in the Vault

Industrial-sounding synths that reflect the subject matterSong preview available, commentary is in the Vault