Artist
Model Depose
Dutch new wave/synthpop band
Groningen, The Netherlands • 2009 – 2021
Model Depose is a music group from Groningen, The Netherlands, active 2009–2021. Their discography on Gatefold includes 3 records.
3
Albums tracked
2
In collections
2009
Since
Biography
Synthpop, Indietronica, Synthwave, Electrorock? There’s hardly Band one label that fully describes the musical identity of this 5-piece from The Netherlands. Surely, there’s references to well-known 80’s and 90’s New Wave and Synthpop figureheads as well as flirtations with modern electronica and rock music. Strong vocals filled with emotion, blistering synthesizer melodies, wavy rocking guitars and an organic, grooving rhythm section is what makes Model Depose stand out.
The Arc of Model Depose
The pivots — what forced Model Depose to reinvent.
The Nightwatch Foundation
Between the self-titled debut and the Nightwatch EP, the band moved away from being a bedroom project and started functioning like a high-tension live unit. David Bos and Mariët Gast began layering the electronics with a heavy, atmospheric intent that made their early minimalism feel claustrophobic in a good way. You can hear them testing the limits of how much darkwave gloom they could inject into a pop hook without losing the melody entirely. It was the moment they realized that a synthesizer could sound as aggressive as a Gibson SG if you pushed the right faders.
The Cinematic Expansion
When they moved into the Splitting Light era in 2016, the scope of the production blew wide open. They stopped hiding behind the murky textures of their early EPs and embraced a massive, hi-fi sound that put Roeland’s vocals front and center. It was a calculated risk that could have leaned too far into commercial territory, but the band kept enough of that Dutch synth-darkness to keep it grounded. The arrangements got busier, the builds got longer, and the whole thing sounded like it was designed to be played in a cathedral.
Influences
- Depeche Mode — Roeland van der Velde has explicitly cited Dave Gahan’s vocal delivery and the band's 80s output as the primary blueprint for Model Depose. You hear it in the way they use industrial-lite percussion to anchor a pop melody. It’s the Black Celebration school of songwriting.
- New Order — The band’s DNA is built on the transition from Joy Division’s gloom to the club-ready synths of New Order. The high-register melodic bass lines on tracks like 'Particles' are a direct nod to Peter Hook’s signature style. They understood that the dance floor is a great place to be sad.
- The Cure — The band covered 'A Forest' during their live sets, which is basically the holy text for their particular brand of darkwave. You can hear that Disintegration-era atmospheric wash all over their 2016 album. It's about using the synth to create a sense of physical space.
- Ultravox — The dramatic, Midge Ure-style vocal swells are a recurring theme in the band's later work. They adopted that European art-rock sensibility where the synthesizers provide a theatrical backdrop for a big, sweeping performance. It's the grandiosity of Vienna without the string section.
- Gary Numan — The band’s focus on the Moog-heavy, cold-wave textures of the late 70s traces directly back to Numan’s early career. They utilize those same detached, robotic synth leads that cut through the mix like a laser. It gives their music a mechanical heart that keeps it from getting too sentimental.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
Related artists
Around the web
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