Erasure4Rum

Having teased you on Friday with a heads up about Doublespeak - the forthcoming collaboration between our very own Vince Clarke with Blancmange's Neil Arthur and electro-whizz Benge - I am delighted that those three fine gents have allowed me to send you this bonus newsletter today containing all the details of their Doublespeak project which won't be announced anywhere else until tomorrow.

So, without further ado, let me tell you that Doublespeak's album, also called 'Doublespeak', is a collection of cover versions of tracks that have caught the ears of our most excellent trio over the years, and which they have dismantled and reinterpreted into the 11 tracks that are featured on the album. ‘Doublespeak’ will be released across a range of formats (and yes, that includes CD and vinyl editions) by London Records on 29th May 2026.

Here's what's on the album...

'DOUBLESPEAK' TRACKLISTING
'Back To Nature' (originally by Fad Gadget) / 'Brand - New - Life' (Young Marble Giants) / 'The Visitors' (ABBA) / 'I Can’t Escape Myself' (The Sound) / 'Goodbye To Love' (The Carpenters) / 'Rock On' (David Essex) / 'Smoke And Mirrors' (The Magnetic Fields) / 'Day Breaks, Night Heals' (Thomas Leer and Robert Rental) / 'Gentle On My Mind' (John Hartford) / 'Richard!' (Ed Dowie) / 'End Credits' (Laptop)

"I knew so little about some of these songs that they were like demos to me," Vince says of the album. "They felt like brilliant new songs that you want to get your hands on. I’ve had people do cover versions of my songs and honestly there’s no better tribute. So that’s what we wanted to do here."

Officially, the 'Doublespeak' album will be available to pre-order across a range of formats from tomorrow at 10am (UK) which is when the album will be announced elsewhere, however because you are signed up to this newsletter you will be able to order from 9am (UK) tomorrow (Wednesday 25th March) via this link which will connect you to the Doublespeak store from 9am tomorrow. Don't say we don't spoil you!

As an additional incentive to order early, in case you still need one, the first 500 orders from the official Doublespeak store will include an A5 print signed by Vince Clarke, Neil Arthur and Benge.

Happy pre-ordering everyone, I have my fingers crossed that you manage to snap up one of the limited-edition signed prints. Doublespeak is on Facebook and Instagram, in case you want to keep an eye out for updates, and the project also has a newsletter you can sign up for here.

There won't be a newsletter on Friday, but I will be back soon with more news about this project, and also about some of the other things we are currently working on...

David Essex's ‘Rock On’ (1973) was a real space oddity. Written by Essex, it was Jeff ‘War Of The Worlds’ Wayne’s original production that shattered the mould – more space, echo and feedback than instrumentation, no guitar or keyboards. The track was the original Anglo-American dub record, going top 5 in both the US and the UK and receiving a Grammy nomination to boot.

On the Doublespeak version, Vince and Benge transpose Herbie Flowers’ original doubletracked bass into an electrostatic void and Neil gets his teen idol on.

‘Rock On’ is available to stream & download now plus the sparse, intense 'I Can’t Escape Myself' (originally by lost 80s group The Sound), the third instalment from the Doublespeak LP.

Now there is a digital deluxe version complete with instrumental versions of the tracks.