Depeche Mode have announced a new album which they feel has been given an “extra level of meaning” following the death of their keyboardist Andy Fletcher.
Fletcher, nicknamed “Fletch”, who founded the group in Basildon, Essex in 1980, died in May at the age of 60.
The remaining band members of Martin Gore and Dave Gahan said they decided to complete the new album, titled Memento Mori, as they feel it is what Fletcher would have wanted.
The group also announced they will be embarking on a tour of the album in 2023, which will be their first in five years.
The tour will start with a “special, limited series of North American arena dates” starting on March 23, ahead of a summer stadium tour in Europe from May 16.
The North American tour will feature stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Among their European dates is a concert at Twickenham Stadium in London on June 17 as well as stops in Berlin, Paris and Milan.
Speaking about Memento Mori, Gore said: “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time.
“After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”
Gahan added: “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”
Memento Mori will be the band’s 15th studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Spirit.
Fletcher formed the band with Gore and Vince Clarke, who later left in the early 1980s.
During this career, two of their albums reached number one in the charts: Songs Of Faith And Devotion, and Ultra.
Memento Mori will be released worldwide in spring 2023 via Columbia Records.