Depeche Mode: My Cosmos Is Mine - Initial Reaction 

"My Cosmos Is Mine" is the second single from the up and coming "Memento Mori" album by Depeche Mode. In this video, I discuss my initial reaction to this song which is very different to the first single "Ghosts Again".

My initial reaction to Cosmos is that it is very weird and enjoyable. Whenever Depeche Mode gets weird it’s always enjoyable. I like it.👍

I'm not sure this is a single. I think it's just a taster of the new album

I don't get all the hate for this song. I think it's awesome. It has such an amazing atmosphere about it. Really reminds me of Black Celebration in a lot of ways. Especially the vocal melody. I honestly think all the people hating on it will love it once they hear the album.

Αlan we miss you...

Screams Gregorian chant to me...nice to hear them experimenting with that. I like it...really moved me hearing Dave sing "don't stare at my soul"

I really enjoy this track. I love that Martin wants to make a distorted sound with clashing, atmospheric layers. And Daves vocals are absolutely brilliant!

It‘s not a single but a good album and concert opener.

I liked this more than Ghosts Again actually, that one actually took a few listens where this one grabbed me immediately. The feel is very them but still new. Dave sounds really great and the atmosphere is very otherworldly. It actually reminds me a little bit of Martin’s The Third Chimpanzee in some ways.

I like the atmosphere of this song. Can’t wait to listen to the album as a whole. DM still composes complete albums, not just collections of singles, which is another reason to be a fan.

I liked MCIM from the get go. Experimental, dark, odd, reverb and atmosphere - great. Marta Salogni's influence shouldn't be underestimated. 🙂

Now this is Depeche Mode! The lyrics, the atmosphere, the synths, Dave’s soft voice, Martin’s backing vocals, and all that weird sh!t in the middle. I’m in love with DM again. I forgot how enjoyable it is to listen to one song over and over.

Bitte keine Vergleiche mit SOFAS oder Violator, oder sonst, es ist was anderes, ähnlich, aber doch anders! Vielleicht vergleichbar mit COVER ME. Lest sich hören! 👍🫠💜 Und noch was wer hat die Texte geschrieben, no Jo es gibt zwei Songs schreiber! Ach so ich schreibe auf Deutsch, weil mein Englisch nahezu katastrophic ist ha! Aber Martin würde verstehen, er kann deutsch! See You later, Violator! 🌹

My Cosmos Is Mine sounds like a Recoil dropout. Instantly remind me of the Strange Hour set. It's a weird decision to put it as the first track and as a single. Maybe the goal is to try to win back Alan Wilder fans (like me)

That was a lovely message, thanks so much Vaughn.

It is the 2nd single, it is confirmed. So, I have to be honest here.. my initial reaction was a huge no, but after several listenings it got more accessible. Still, it brings memories from their last 3 VERY weak albums. I believe that it will not stand the test of time. Thank you for the nice video and the overall work you are doing! Ps: I am a huge Depeche Mode fan.

First listen, I thought this has potential....but then it all went a bit naff. Having listened to it several times, it's a grower. I think it'll be a good album filler or transition track. Not a strong single, but they don't need chart positions anymore 🤷🏻‍♂️

"My Cosmos Is Mine" has grown on me. Some of the sounds in this song remind me of the beginning of "Clean". And towards the end, Martin's voice sounds like he's singing far away from the microphone. I'm like, "get closer to the mic Brother! I can barely hear your beautiful singing!"

Marta Salogni is the kind of producer Depeche Mode was needing so bad,I was sick of Ben Hillier and James Ford did a decent job with Spirit,I really liked that album and I enjoyed the last two song even more. The combo Ford/Salogni is the way to go

This is the song that opens the new album. To me the song has a Higher Love-In Your Room vibe to it. I think Peter Gordeno played the bass guitar on it.If Depeche Mode decides to play this song live it needs to be the first song or show opener. It would not fit anywhere else in the setlist

Sympathy for his loss. Thank you for bringing that to our attention. DM fans send our best.

This DM song sounds dark, eerie, and has an out-of-body atmosphere-like sound. Look forward to at least a dozen remixes on RU-vid. 👍👌👏💖

This was just the album intro. I was try to listen to you, you keep repeating the same thing. What you said in 25 mns could’ve been said in 10.

I loved the track. Its very dark and as you say atmospheric. I loved his voice and the tone he brings. I thought it was very much in the vein of blasphemous rumours. The sound effects are really cool. Almost like an artificial breathing apparatus. I didn't like the bridge section, it made for uncomfortable listening but it does resolve itself in the last couple of chords and transitions nicely into the next section.. Perhaps that's the point and they offer the perfect juxtaposition. Great work.

it`s not single . it`s just another song from the album.

I do appreciate the track from the first listening. It is weird but its surely has Gorism in it,(love this Word, btw).

Vaughn, what you play is much better than the song produced by DM so I think they've destroyed a good song

They get into Useless territory here (one my fave). Same level of power but deeper. Can’t wait to here it laud and visualized on a live show. Think it will be a killer experience.

My cosmos is mine is a great expressionist song. DM uses sound, music effetcs to express their message. When I hear the beginning of the song, I hear the sounds of war, which is so actual right now. Powers are playing with our world and don't care about people, their lives.

I love the darkness and the different parts being so different from each other and the whole song being so different from Ghosts Again, which I love, too. I love that Depeche Mode music never becomes and alsways has some surprises for me.

I'd add it's definitely one of the more interesting tracks they've done in quite a while.

They really shouldn't be releasing anymore albums. They have been getting worse each time. They are just a cash in on the name now. Back in the day I bought everything they released on vinyl, ltd Editions, rarities, the lot. I enjoyed all of them. I sold most of them, made a massive profit too! If I hadn't I would have been ripped off massively. How can a group that sing about inner thoughts, doubts, insecurities and depressing thoughts really mean it? What time should I take my Audi R8 in for a service? Swimming pool needs cleaning. 9 am? I wanted to say in bed today, rearrange the time. I'm depressed because I don't have a reason to write a song about the reason why I'm depressed. The Chauffeur I hired to take the kids to school has rang in sick. Wouldn't quite have the same effect would it? 'Everything counts in large amounts'. They most certainly worked that one out!

Doesn't any Alan fan boy alarms go off when you listen to the multi-layered production, especially at the end? To me, this is the most SOFAD song since SOFAD.

At first I rolled my eyes at more buzzy, plodding tedium. Now I can't stop listening to it. It's truly brilliant and took awhile for me to get my head around it.

Hi Vaughn I’m not feeling it yet-enjoyed your versions,playing much more & the Gore isms. I’m sure it will fit better in an album context as others have said

Much better than Ghosts Again IMHO, which is rather just a Precious 2.0 for me.

This has similar beats to Boards of Canada’s - You Could Feel The Sky. I know Martin Gore is a fan of Warp records and James Ford is an artist on that label.

I think I’m not gonna hesitate to buy the album. I have a feeling it will be good…buuuuuutttt….not Alan Wilder good. 😂

My cosmos is mine is not a single, if it was there would be a video for the song, just like the other 55 singles.

Thanks! I am very new to this channel and love your thoughtful comments. Can’t wait to see DM in Portland Or this year and have purchased both new songs which I like very much. Thank you for your hard work!

At first I wasnt sure about this but its really starting to grow on me. Martin's ghostly backing vocals are amazing

Dude he wrote it during Covid…yeh that was strange… thoroughly enjoyed the darkness

Thank you very much for your review, to say honestly, it’s much more interesting than new DM song :)))))) And actually this single is just another Martin demo, which came to new album without proper implementation.

Very dark, moody. I’m getting Black Celebration and Clean vibes. Excellent 👏👏👏👏

Best part: The song grows over time. Dave sings great, sounds fantastic! Also the no war/no more... bit is haunting and instantly recognisable as DM. The not so good part: A hybrid between SOTU/ Delta machine. Probably the start of a set list on the upcoming tour, good to know, then it doesnt matter if you are 5 minutes late.

Thank you again for a great video. Two things though: one, this is just a song. Not a single by any chance. Just an introduction. Actually we got before the album the full songs that we heard as a teaser in October. Secondly, Depeche Mode doesn't usually release 3 singles before the album. Or did it in 1981/1982? 🙃 Of course, we also got another 2 songs that were played live in Germany, but the sound quality of the recording was so bad, that I did not understand anything and stop listening after 1 minute or so. How some people were extatic about these songs, some were mentioning Violator and Ultra vibes is beyond me. My toaster sounds much better than those recordings made with a vacuum cleaner probability 🙄😄

Great reaction Vaughn! As always very detailed and sincere. I love the song but are we sure that this is the next single. In my opinion they just shared another track from the album. I could be wrong. Keep up the great work

I’ve listened to the song dozens of times meow and still dislike it. We like what we like.

i think that my cosmos is mine was not released asa single actually, im not sure its gonna be a single

To me the song sounds like something from SOTU or Delta Machine, just done better. As an album opener it works well enough.

haha, exactly what the fuk moment, but a Gore disonance that you gotta love. I appreciate more the weird DM stuff now than when I was a kid and I was more into the commercial DM.

I thought you’d say “where’s the melody?”, Vaughn! 😂

It’s not single to be specific

Is this an actual single? I thought it might be the B side to Ghosts Again

Great review, Vaughn, as always, thank you! But this is NOT a "single", as we used to know it, there won't be any radio broadcast of this song, no maxi-single (there will be one, with a "B"-side-like track for GA) or official video released. It's an extract - second in DM history after "Angel" - off the MM album. MCiM is the introduction to what will come in less than 2 weeks. It's a "state of the union speech" by the band, saying: "guys, here we are, back for one more (probably the last) time, we are now inviting you to a new musical journey, please welcome these upcoming 11 songs, we hope you will appreciate them". DM just set the "tone" to what's next. It's not to be interpreted as any 1st album track, i.e. NLMDA, WIME, WTMW etc. in the past - in my humble personal opinion. MM will, hopefully, sound like a concept album, from start to finish, and this is the intro. Yes, it's atmospheric and full of gorisms. In my opinion, it' the BEST opening track - and nothing more than an opening track, not to be "interpreted" as a traditional single - since WIME. And probably the 1st track of the tour. If only half of the MM reviews available so far are true - I am sceptical as many of us, especially after the "Spirit" horror - then we should expect the best DM opus since Ultra! Upon hearing MCiM, my hopes are very high and this is VERY encouraging! Fingers crossed! PS. Vaughn: DM has never released 3 singles before an album. The formula is either 1+Album+1+1 (+1) or 1+1+ Album +1 (+1).

Releasing three singles before the album drops is not "typical Depeche fashion", last time they did that was A Broken Frame in 1982! Just saying. ;)

First listen average,2nd ,growing on me ....3rd... excellent!got a bit of 'to have to hold ,or darkest star vibe. Best production for an age.

This reminds me of the Darkest Star.

I heard wagging tongue which is much more a single to me . I didn’t know they said my cosmos is mine was a single, but wagging tongue is very good. I think this album is a mix between black celebration, songs of faith and maybe violator … wait and hear 🥲

Saddly, this song just gave me some kind of meh! feeling, just like the previous records. I mean, is not just that i don't like it, or a simple feeling of contempt. It's even worst. It's simply a matter of total indifference. I never imagined that i could say anything like this about some work coming from DM. But with these last albums, i think they lost something. Just as i said, is really sad. Greetings from Chile Vaughn.

Condolences and love to Dominic

I've not heard it yet ! Where have i been ??!

I love this ad hoc deconstruction you did here, VG :) Here’s an idea on how to read this song: it’s like a mantra of a person who’s trying to hide from the world in his safe space. Dave acts as a voice of reason, the one that is consciously calming the general atmosphere and convincing himself, that he has control and is safe from the world outside. But then Martin jumps in like this annoying voice from the back of your head, distorting the harmony and bringing up all those fears and uncertainties. Then it yields to the conscious voice again but keeps on whispering all through the rest of the song. And this kind of resonates to me with those feeling that Martin was talking about regarding going back to the world after isolation during the pandemic.

I don’t think it is a single. It‘s just a track we got to receive a very different and atmospheric pick from Memento Mori. Love the song. It is epic, dark, very electronic (even with hints to Kraftwerk, yet very „Depeche“), uncomfortable and it’s growing more and more with every listen

Hello VG 👋👋 🔝🆒📺🎹🎤🎧 Fantastic 🙏🏻👍🥳😘

Hahahaha! "Goreism" = "WTF" Perfect!

On first listen to this my reaction was "I love it!". It's dark, atmospheric, Gregorian. At the end (better through headphones) the warped repeats of the words at the beginning of the song (sung by Martin) sounding like they are floating off like a spirit leaving a person who has just passed away. Incredible. Then I started reading comments on social media. Some, like me, "got it". Some hated it. I couldn't understand, how can a true DM fan hate it? But you are right VG, music is subjective and we are all attracted to different songs for our own individual reasons. Great analysis. I've been waiting for your opinion!

Industriaski , now for Alessandro Contini , 80’s kids

you loose yourself in details that breaks the content of your critique....makes it less consistent....be precise, don't jiggle around....

If you noticed that the first part of that snippet we got back in October is from My Cosmos is Mine only changed since, so I think it was always planned by the band to release it. Also Martin's Vocals at the end are actually backwards and if you forwarded it, it's the same lyrics from the first verse. Also the chanting is Pimpf vibes especially the fear part. This song in my opinion is what Welcome to My World should have been.

I am saddened by this album....it is another minimalistic album where the songs sounds like a demo, unpolished, no joy, with moogs overuse, the background is very dark and more like Leo Cohen....this is not what made us love Depeche Mode.....remember Black Celebration....a dark music but still music....they like using more the computers than the keyboards....sad they become to release less and less enjoyable albums...pitty Alan is not there to cheer up the songs....if it wasn't Alan, Enjoy the Silence would still be a dark, sad balade....They should get themselves a good producer, not DJs collected from shady clubs....As long as J Ford is producing, everything will sound just the same, and not in a good way...so long with the hymns we all came to love in the '80-'90s

Muy buen análisis. ¿Es posible que ese B minor sea el mismo con el que comienza la Marcha Fúnebre?

It's just Dave channeling God again.

They should definitely release My Favourite Stranger as a single at some point thts a great track vaughn

I'm honest, I'm rather conflicted about the new course of Depeche Mode. Even though Ghosts Again hasn't won me over and I can't find My Cosmos Is Mine a masterpiece either, I feel that Martin and Dave have taken a different direction from the wretched period that started with Exciter and especially with Sotu, and I need to listen to the whole album to reach a more concrete idea. I would really like to hope for a new beginning. The first songs by Delta Machine (which I still consider the least worst from 2000 onwards) won me over: Heaven, Angel, but then the album was ruined by too many songs objectively (indeed, subjectively) not up to par (Slow, My Little Universe, Goodbye, Soft Touch Raw Nerve, to which I also add the single Soothe My Soul). Spirit exists, imho, only for Where's The Revolution, Fail and maybe Going Backwards). Let's hope and fingers crossed, I'm always ready to say 'I was wrong!' Let's consider that Ultra is a great album and Alan (fan-boy alert!) wasn't there (but Tim Simenon was there...)

I LOVE it! It’s 100% pure Depeche Mode. It’s dark and atmospheric and makes me so happy. Totally agree that the Gore-isms are a bit jarring at first but then it all just fits so well together. So good with the headphones on. The sound takes me back to what my 15 year old self would have loved listening to for hours on end.

Not a singel 😉

Been waiting for this :)

I wanted to like it.

Love it! Because its challenging ...its beautiful to me...especially if its actually not a single and leads to ghost again😀

To be honest I don't like it , maybe if it's just a filler album track . Ghosts again sounds like a single , that doesn't. Kind of reminds me of something on a new Gary Numan album , the industrial beat , the beginning sounds like Ghost Nation from his Savage album .

Sounds a lot better through headphones

Another very slow song... Dave's voice sound good in this one, but it's musically poor all based on sound and production.. . For long ago Martin could not have the magic mix of lyrics (meaning) + music working together and being great however they are played. Cosmos is mine alone is not a great song, just 200% production based

I wasn't a huge fan of the song. There was one part that kicked in that I actually loved around 2 minutes in but it only lasted for 10-20 seconds and then was never heard again which confused me. It's definitely not bad or anything but I felt like they had something great here and fumbled it slightly

😍 Dave's vocals are identical to Jon Slovick Wayfaring Stranger bestselling huge hit song ❤️ As hundreds of fans have already noticed 💝

I remember when Personal Jesus was released. The (acoustic version) was what was first played on the radio. I didn't like it. Then I heard the another version the most popular radio version and I loved it. Eventually the acoustic grew on me as well.

Soma Pulsar 23 on the drums. Bad ass.

TL/DR : DM while high is a whole other experience. I'm 49 and a huge DM fan since the release of Violator. I've been enjoying your videos and album reviews. I'm a late bloomer to recreative drug use (legal cannabis), and these past months I've re-listened to all DM albums while high on 10 mg thc... And there is a world of difference! 😳🥰 (I don't smoke it; I take edibles, capsules or oil). These atmosphere songs like Cosmos is Mine, and all the Martin Gore-main vocalist songs are *meant* to be listened while under the influence. They are 200% better. Jezebel becomes an epic masterpiece. The whole second part of PTA -- from Macro to The Darkest Star becomes a wild trippy experience. Even My Little Universe from Delta Machine draws you in, as THC messes with your experience of time, and a 4 minutes song can feel like twice that length. Going back to Speak & Spell while high was an incredible experience. 70% sober rating. 90% high rating album. Tora Tora Tora, omg. I just can't recommend enough experiencing DM (and your favorite music) that way. It's a whole new experience. And so many songs only make sense in that context. I'm not a huge Delta Machine fan, but Welcome to My World and Heaven suddenly became great! 😅 Same can be said for so many songs on Spirit. 70% appreciation sober; 90% high... THC has allowed me to LOVE some of the songs or albums that were kind of "meh" when listening sober. Going backwards while high is a masterpiece of immersion. My Cosmos is Mine is such other masterpiece, and it's very difficult to "get" that MG bridge without 🌿 or 🍄. (As a side note, I don't think MCIM was released as a single per se, but as a "prerelease" track to pique fans' interest. Singles are commercially more significant, promo-wise.)

I actually like this track....very open, very atmospheric...It's got a lineage to My Little Universe.... in a good way. While it sounds minimalistic, it's actually very complex. It's not going to appeal to the masses, but then again, I don't think it's meant to. It's exactly what I'd expect from Depeche Mode...

This sounds like some of the best DM material in a very long time honestly. The atmosphere is back! I esp dig the outro of this track after 4:10 with Martin's voice in reverb and the spatial synth layering sounds after the crescendo. I think they finally got a good producer (Marta Soligna) on this one. Very experimental, modern, DM, but at the same time it harkens to their best years.

Loved Ghosts Again. But not this new one. How about DM record a cover album. I’m hearing Strawberry Fields Forever. It could be great.. :)

As a huge Depeche Mode fan of 40 years, owning physical medium of CD and Vinyl and 5 GB of their entire discography and remixes, plus Dave and Mart’s solo stuff, VCMG, plus attending 8 of their tours since Violator, plus tickets to DM in San Antonio on 4/2……..I have to say “Ghosts Again” is meh (or mid) but the disappointing “My Cosmos is Mine” is absolutely abysmal. The distortion is grating and it lacks rhythm and harmony. Another over-produced turd from James Ford. It’s not dark and melancholy but gives feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, and despair. Not sure how this is a second single and just tells me it’ll just get worse from here. And I thought Spirit was bad but at least it had two good tracks and the remixes were decent on the Deluxe. Speaking of which….where are the official remixes of Ghosts Again?

I wish they would stop butchering their mastering. This track has a dynamic range of 3... 3!! FFS, guys, we're not in the early 2000's anymore. Jesus.

hi V. I must agree with you that this song. needs to grow on you. it starts great. but the chorus is terrible. it seems MG didn't know where to go. It gave me a feeling of Construction time again... in some ways. but NO for me. Being From RSA .53 years Old we have decided to travel to UK for the 17th of June concert. 500 pounds in tickets for 3 people ... however, I think this is their last tour and I need my family to see the band I grew up with ... I was always a fan of their B Sides== GOT TO WORK ON Hard. flexible and many others and of course Alan Wilder. I have pre-ordered the Album... hoping its worth their name!

Vaughn, maybe you can help me see what I'm missing? Maybe I'm just not seeing/hearing it? Everyone (save myself) seems to really be enjoying "Ghosts Again", yet I can't help but feel extreme disappointment over it. This song, "My Cosmos Is Mine" made me feel a bit better and I think that's because it's so atmospheric. That is, after all, what I've been most attracted to, I suppose, is the "atmospheric" quality of Depeche Mode's music. "Ghosts Again" has a very nice hook, but it just doesn't say "Depeche Mode" to me, the lyrics come off as forced (Morrissey must be gagging) and when I watch Dave on stage... I'm just deflated. But at least a little bit of them has survived: I can hear it in this song.

I immediately liked My Cosmos is mine. I love the arrangement with the hard and dark oldschool industrial sound. It reminds me of the Front 242 sound of the 90's on the Up Evil and Fuck Off albums which I really liked back in the day.

Personally thought it was a lot of noises and booms and blips. Much like stuff from Delta Machine. Lacking melody. Didn't like it much. On the other hand I love Ghost Again.

Sorry...new album is crap imo. *Update...it's growing on me. Had a few too many pints last night. I think these songs will sound very good live without all the filters and twiddly bits on Dave/Marts voices.

I don't know why but when I heard "Ghosts again" I thought "Ok this is catchy but now I'm finding it a bit irritating??? I don't know why?? When I heard "My Cosmos is mine " I thought this must be some B track from Delta machine/ Spirit or Sounds of the Universe that I hadn't heard before? Then I find out it's the new single? I consider this song a "filler" track for one their albums. It's hardly a song to try and grab radio play or attract a new generation of listeners. That's just my thoughts. I am now not very optimistic for the upcoming album. Also I'm a bit over their "overuse " of delay and reverb.

My two cents! The problem with that bridge, the "gore-ism", is that it's very interesting in itself, especially in its bare stucture of chords etc. But I feel it's completely out of context. It's like they glued together two completely differnt tracks. Sounds extremely forced to me and I don't like that. However, I enjoy the overall sound, in my opinion it's one of the most interesting things of the recent DM production - and when I say "recent" I mean obviously from 1997 😅