Shudder To Think Covers Depeche Mode's 'Something To Do'
The reunited art-punk band Shudder To Think has released a cover of Depeche Mode's 1984 track 'Something To Do' as part of their new three-song EP.
Shudder To Think has released a cover of Depeche Mode's 1984 song "Something To Do." The track is part of the band's new three-song EP, Who Sent You?, out September 11 on the Dischord label.
The cover presents an "urgently splintered take" on the original. The band makes the Depeche Mode song sound distinctly like their own work. This follows the group's two-song single from last year, which was their first new music in 27 years.
The Source Material
In a statement, Shudder To Think explained their connection to the Depeche Mode album Some Great Reward, from which "Something To Do" originates. The band calls that 1984 record "the pinnacle of their brilliance and creativity." They describe it as the crescendo of the synth-pop group's first phase, where pop hooks met experimental synthesizers and themes of youthful yearning.
The song itself kicks off the album. Shudder To Think characterizes it as a "semi-forgotten, under-appreciated banger about being young, angsty, bored, and horny." It deals with making your own fun in a run-down industrial town, before the consequences of such actions set in.
The Spark to Record
The idea to cover the song came spontaneously. While making their new album, "Something To Do" came on the satellite radio. This jogged frontman Craig Wedren's memory back to being 16 on a family trip to Israel. He recalled flipping between cassettes of Some Great Reward, XTC's English Settlement, and The Dukes Of Stratosphear. "Anyway, we HAD to cover it," the band stated.
The recording happened quickly. Minutes after finishing basic tracks for the final song on their own album, the band learned the Depeche Mode song's structure and recorded it in about three takes with no corrections.
A Fortunate Audience
Comedian and actor Thomas Lennon, who is Wedren's brother-in-law, was visiting the studio during the session. Lennon is described as a big fan of both Depeche Mode and Shudder To Think. He stood in a circle with the band as they recorded. The band says his energy and enthusiasm "completed the circuit" and provided the needed vibe.
Shudder To Think likened the experience to finding "magic gunk left at the bottom of the fuel tank" at the end of a project. They compared it to "potent resin at the bottom of the bowl." The Who Sent You? EP also includes the previously shared title track.
