Erasure’s Vince Clarke, Blancmange’s Neil Arthur and electronic producer Benge have joined forces to form new band Doublespeak to cover classic and cult songs.
The roots of the new synth pop supergroup group stem back to 2017, when Arthur – who had already recorded a track for Vince Clarke’s project, The Assembly – suggested that the two join forces to put a unique spin on some of their favourite songs from the past four decades.
They then brought Benge into the line-up, following him collaborating with Arthur on the Fader project and also working with the musician by co-producing six Blancmange albums.
They are set to release their self-titled debut album – which sees them reimagine a selection of classic and cult songs with a new analogue electronica feel – on May 29.Visit here to pre-order.
Described by the trio as a shadow autobiography of their own musical education, songs on the 11-track album include tracks from post0punk bands like Fad Gadget, The Sound, and Young Marble Giants, as well as iconic pop artists like ABBA, David Essex, and Carpenters.
The album also includes a selection of lesser-known tracks from the 1990s onwards, including songs by The Magnetic Fields, Ed Dowie, Laptop and more.
“What’s really stood out for us on this journey is how good these songs are. It’s from doing your own version that you realise what incredible pieces of work they are,” Arthur shared, while Benge added: “For me it was the excitement of hearing these great songs re-synthesized into new forms in the studio. It was such an honour to be part of it.”
Clarke went on to say that the new project allowed him to discover new music, sharing: “I knew so little about some of these songs that they were like demos to me. 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.”
Today (Wednesday March 25), Doublespeak have shared the first taster of the record, releasing their take on Fad Gadget’s ‘Back To The Nature’ – a 1979 song which was the second to be shared by Mute Records, after founder Daniel Miller’s first single as The Normal.
The ‘Doublespeak’ tracklist is:
‘Back To Nature’ (originally by Fad Gadget)
‘Brand – New – Life’ (Young Marble Giants)
‘The Visitors’ (ABBA)
‘I Can’t Escape Myself’ (The Sound)
‘Goodbye To Love’ (The Carpenters)
‘Rock On’ (David Essex)
‘Smoke And Mirrors’ (The Magnetic Fields)
‘Day Breaks, Night Heals’ (Thomas Leer and Robert Rental)
‘Gentle On My Mind’ (John Hartford)
‘Richard!’ (Ed Dowie)
‘End Credits’ (Laptop)
For Neil Arthur, the news of the project comes after the death of keyboardist and founding Blancmange member, Stephen Luscombe, who passed away in September, aged 70. The news was confirmed by Arthur on social media, who shared a post which read: “Heartbroken. RIP Stephen. Love you forever.”
As for Clarke, the artist has also been a part of Yazoo and Depeche Mode, and shared his debut solo album ‘Songs Of Silence’ at the end of 2023. Before then, he revealed that he discovered his love for synthesisers when working alongside OMD, who shared a remix of the song ‘Almost’.