Ben Kaplan: When Justin Russo and I started writing the new NoNight record, NN3, we kept leaning into a dark dance/synth-pop vibe and immediately I started listening to Depeche Mode for inspiration, specifically their 1990 album Violator.
The title really says it all for me. This is a record that oozes sexuality and sleaze. An album full of late-night driving songs and dim, dance-floor bangers. Every tune on this thing is like elevated porno music to me, in the best way possible. It has arguably the biggest DM song of all time on it with “Enjoy The Silence,” but only when you listen to the album do you get the extra two minutes of abstract soundscapes at the end. I bet most people don’t even know about that!
“Personal Jesus” is another all-time classic on this along with “World In My Eyes,” “Policy of Truth” and “Waiting for the Night.” Just wild that so many famous songs were all on one album.
Sandwiched between these massive hits are deep-cut gems like “Blue Dress” and “Clean.” You need weird off-kilter songs to make it an interesting album otherwise Violator basically sounds like a greatest hits collection. There’s tons of other amazing Depeche Mode songs, but Violator stands out to me as their greatest full work. ❖
NoNight’s “Never Say Goodbye” single is out now.