New Erasure album brings the happy to hard times
Erasure’s 2017 album “World Be Gone” was “a bit gloomy” by Vince Clarke’s reckoning.
The new “Neon,” released on Friday, is anything but.
The synth-pop duo of Clarke and Andy Bell embarked on some side projects during the interim. Bell, in fact, re-recorded “World Be Gone” in a classical motif with Brussels’ Echo Collective, while Clarke hosted “The Synthesizer Show” for a nonprofit community streaming station in Staten Island. They came together in Atlanta, Ga., feeling upbeat and determined to reflect that in the new music — which turned out to be quite a counter to the prevailing global mood at the moment.
But Clarke — who also co-founded Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-bound Depeche Mode, Yazoo and The Assembly — says from his quarantine spot in New York that with “Neon” he and Bell are happy to be giving the world something to counter that weight.
Q: Was “Neon” finished pre-pandemic or did you have to do some work on it amidst the chaos?
Clarke: We pretty much finished mixing in London about a month before this whole thing kicked off. Had it been any later I’d have been stuck in London. We had a touring plan all laid out for the next year, two years, all lined up. But then this thing kicked up and stopped everything.
Q: How do you decide when it’s time to make a new Erasure album?
A: We’d been touring extensively after (“World Be Gone”) and I wasn’t really expecting to make a record after so much touring. I thought there’d be more of a rest between records. But there was some demand from the fans, and from the record company — “We want new songs!” So I put 20 ideas together or something and (Bell) came through New York for a bit and we started writing melodies, working out arrangements. I spent some time in Miami, where he has a house, and continued that process, and we spent some time back in London, also, working out the ideas. That was kind of the genesis of the album.
Q: Was the upbeat tone intended from the get-go or something that came about during the process?
A: Well, I think we both didn’t want to make the same record as we did before. (“World Be Gone”) was quite down, I guess, a bit gloomy. I think we wanted to make something that was more reminiscent of the records we made in the ’80s — very song-based, not necessarily with a message, something that was a bit more uplifting. But it’s not like we sat down and conceptualized how the record should sound. It’s really what happens in the moment.
Q: Is there a particular way you two work together?
A: We write in a very traditional way. We sit down in a room together and chisel out ideas, and then who knows what’s going to happen? The joy of songwriting for me is that unknowing. When you’re working with somebody else, you don’t know what will happen at the end of the session. Fortunately for us it seems to happen every time.
Q: Do you ever worry that it won’t? “Neon” is your 18th album after all.
A: Of course. Whenever Andy and I get together for the first time when making a new record we’re both a little bit nervous, I think. Maybe we haven’t been together for a while, and you’re about to do something very, very personal. You always bare your soul a little bit when you write a song, open yourself up. Fortunately my relationship with Andy is such that you can make mistakes or make a fool of yourself and be silly. I don’t feel judged, and he feels the same. We both express some kind of vibe, and we’re very honest — “Nah, I’m not really into that” or “That’s fine” and you just move on. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to stay together for so long and still find it an amazing experience.
Q: Where did “Neon” come from as a title?
A: That came after we made the record. We did a photo shoot at this amazing museum in London where the guy who runs it seemed to be collecting neon signs. It was an amazing experience, so that was one of the inspirations behind the title. And we wanted the record to be a shining light, I think. We wanted to make something a bit more optimistic, a bit more forward-looking. I’m thinking this (record) is going to make people feel good. I’d love it to be what that achieves.
Q: So what else have you been up to?
A: I’ve been doing some stuff, and promotion and things for the new record. I just did a couple of history courses online, ‘cause I need something to do, and I love history. And I’m doing this sort of remake of (“Neon”), which is interesting. I started slicing things up and putting them together, taking samples from Andy’s vocals and saying, “OK, maybe I can write a tune around those,” just manipulating and stretching. It’s just kind of an experiment. I’ve done 10 tracks thus far, so I’ve got an alternative “Neon” album.” It’s kinda cool, quite hippie.
Q: You are being inducted into the Rock Hall in November as a founding member of Depeche Mode. How does that feel?
A: It sounds like a medical procedure, doesn’t it — getting inducted (laughs). I’m very happy for the band. The reason why it’s there is all the work they’ve done without me. It really doesn’t have much to do with me, to be honest. I made one record with the band, which I’m really proud of, and they’ve done an amazing job and totally deserve it. It’s a shame it’s not going to be a proper event. But I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.