Ahead of his upcoming EP, Depeche Mode founding member Martin Gore has shared a single from the effort. The Third Chimpanzee EP comes out on Mute Records January 29th, 2021, but fans can listen to “Mandrill” now.
The cinematic single utilizes abrasive textures and a tasteful measure of noise to build tension before an 8-bit melody is introduced midway point through the arrangement. The brutalist sonic themes of “Mandrill” are accompanied by visuals that include images of the primate after which the song is named alongside more abstract elements.
Gore told Mixmag that the title for his upcoming album was inspired by a book by Jared Diamond called The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. “I read that book in the ’90s and it just made sense because he was calling humans the third chimpanzee,” he said.
“Without making it blatantly obvious, I liked that it blurred the line between humans and monkeys,” he went on. “Because sometimes it doesn’t seem like we’ve got very far! It all made sense to call it that, as the EP was made by one of the third chimpanzees.”
Depeche Mode were among the most famous British new wave bands of the early ’80s for singles like “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “See You.” Founding member Vince Clarke left the band in 1981 amid their rapid rise, but he and Gore collaborated in for the first time since his departure in 2012 on a techno project called VCMG. In 2015 Gore also released a self-titled album under a new solo project called MG.
Pre-order The Third Chimpanzee EP by Martin Gore across platforms via Mute Records.
