Single Review : Depeche Mode - Heaven
- Written by Ben Gibson
Despite being consistently good for the best part of thirty years, listening to new single 'Heaven' it doesn't feel like much has changed for everybody's favourite electro goths Depeche Mode since their eighties heyday.
Everything you'd expect from their sound is here, right down to the synth-infused backdrop and booming vocals. Which, while not necessarily a complaint, it can make this feel like an uneventful lead single. Nonetheless it's a sound which works for the band. Although the mix is quite vocal heavy David Gahan is one of the few singers powerful enough to pull it off.
It's a testament to the band that despite having a somewhat eighties production style they've never sounded outdated. Perhaps because while many bands from the era that taste forgot were playing synths, Depeche Mode were the one of the few that were mastering them. Here is no exception: the understated playing of Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore delicately decorate Gahan's towering performance. Indeed, for a song that sounds so large in scale, it's a surprisingly subtle affair. Which makes it quite an odd choice for a single.
There's no huge sing-along chorus here, nor any major hooks. The playing is tasteful and elegant, if not a little underwhelming. With multiple listens it unveils itself as a fine little piece of pop song writing. Although unable to touch the band's finest work, it's another quality addition to the the Depeche Mode song canon. One which feels more like a preview for their soon to be released album Delta Machine than a product in itself.
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