Martin Gore releases “Cross Whisper”, a collaboration with Cliff Damavandi

Martin Gore, founding member of Depeche Mode, released “Cross Whisper”, a collaboration with artist and lyricist Cliff Damavandi, on Mute on 20 October 2026. A 12-inch vinyl, catalogue number 12MUTE705, follows on 4 December 2026, pairing the original track with five remixes.

According to Mute, the song grew out of a story Gore told friends: on several occasions, after someone close to him died, birds appeared around him. In one case a bird kept tapping hard at his studio window, and two days later he learned that a close friend had died. Gore said birds also came after the deaths of his mother, his dog and his cat. Damavandi was so moved that he wrote lyrics, which Gore then set to music. The lyricist said he sensed an “otherness” in the story that compelled him to write.

The track opens with whispered voices that gradually give way to Gore’s synths, while an insistent hammering mirrors the bird at the studio window. The vinyl carries remixes by Brazilian techno DJ and producer ANNA, Regis, Dutch techno artist Vera Grace, boothnavy and British hauntologist Pye Corner Audio, the alias of Martin Jenkins. The accompanying visualiser was filmed in Japan and England by Luca Bailey.

Born in London in 1961, Martin Gore is a songwriter, musician, producer and DJ. His most recent studio album is “MG”, released in April 2015, according to MusicBrainz.