Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore Previews New EP With ‘Mandrill’

Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore has announced a new instrumental EP, The Third Chimpanzee, out January 29th.

Ahead of the release, the songwriter and guitarist dropped the first offering from the project, “Mandrill.” It’s accompanied by a video that features trippy paintings of the titular animal flashing along with the atmospheric track.

“The first track I recorded had a sound that wasn’t human,” Gore said in a statement. “It sounded primate-like. I decided to name it ‘Howler,’ after a monkey. Then, when it came time to name the EP, I remembered reading the book The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. It all made sense to call it that, as the EP was made by one of the third chimpanzees.”

The Third Chimpanzee follows Gore’s 2015 album MG. It will be pressed on a limited edition 12″ blue vinyl as well as on CD. Both formats are currently available for pre-order.

Earlier this month, Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at a ceremony held virtually for the first time. Following Charlize Theron’s induction speech, Gore, Dave Gahan, and keyboardist Andy Fletcher appeared on video to share their thanks — and throw in a joke about the Eagles.

The Third Chimpanzee Tracklist
1. “Howler”
2. “Mandrill”
3. “Capuchin”
4. “Vervet”
5. “Howler’s End”