| MAY 25, 2023 (New York, NY) — “Depeche Mode aren’t just some popular band from another era; their catalog transcends era and genre, and their music really resonates,” says vocalist/guitarist Will Benoit of Doom Metal band SOM about their new EP FAITH. Consisting of a handful of reworked covers from the iconic British band, the EP’s latest single “Personal Jesus” takes the 1989 hit and immerses it in guitar-drenched splendor, reimagining it in a post-metal context. It will be available for streaming HERE and also available as a limited-edition cassette. The high-concept video premieres today on Post-Punk.com who says, “This somber rendition of the iconic Depeche Mode track exhibits a fresh take on the classic, changing the tone into something just as seductive yet laced with an undying melancholy new to this reinterpretation.”
The original track was the lead single from Depeche Mode’s groundbreaking Violator (1990) album and was also the band’s second U.S. Top 40 hit. “It’s become really clear that Depeche Mode means a lot to so many people that you might not think would love them,” Benoit continues. “Fans have been sharing other Depeche Mode covers they like with us, talking with us about their favorite songs, and asking which other songs we covered. There’s a curiosity and excitement around this collection of music, and the experience of this EP finding its place in the dark magical world of Depeche Mode has been really heartening.”
Transforming Warner Brothers’ original mysterious promotional campaign for the song, SOM and director Samia Zaidi solicited anonymous confessions from readers of the classifieds. Explains guitarist Mike Repasch-Nieves, “When Samia and I were working on the concept, I was inspired to learn how Depeche Mode’s label took out enigmatic personal ads in the UK newspapers before the single came out in 1989 that just said ‘Your own personal Jesus,’ with a number that people could call and hear the song playing on the other end of the line. So we wanted to do a version of that but take it further, by posting an anonymous call for people to share their prayers and confessions with us. These prayers and confessions along with intimate portraits (filmed over several weeks across multiple cities) formed the basis of the video.”
Director Zaidi adds, “The moment I heard the song, a series of very human portraits started playing in my head. There was something about the idea of seeing this smorgasbord of humanity that seemed really fitting for the heavy way the song unfolded. We were mindful of the vulnerability we were asking for and distributed the confessions in different ways. Some were direct accompaniments; others were vaguely placed in order to maintain the anonymity of our subjects and submissions.” |
