This is what the new THE CURE album sounds like

THE CURE – “Songs of a Lost World”
Album (Universal)
Release date: presumably November 01, 2024

With “Songs of a Lost World”, The Cure have released one of the best albums of their almost 50-year career. The road to the release was long and rocky and could fill an entire article. 16 years have passed since the last studio album. In 2008, not only the world was a different place, but also the band: MySpace was the big thing, Facebook and YouTube were in their infancy and Angela Merkel had only been in power for three years.

Dark, sad and angry?
In all this time, The Cure have toured the world several times, playing sold-out arenas and headlining the biggest festivals. From time to time, they played unreleased tracks and, from 2022, also material from the album that has now been released: “Alone”, “And Nothing Is Forever”, “A Fragile Thing”, “I Can Never Say Goodbye” and “Endsong”. Even back then, it was clear that “Songs of a Lost World” would be a dark, melancholy album, far removed from the pop songs that made them stars in the eighties and early nineties, even outside the alternative scene. The finished album now contains eight dark, sad, sometimes angry songs about the great universal themes of love and death. The latter in particular played an important role in frontman Robert Smith’s life, as he lost both parents, his brother, relatives and acquaintances within a few years, which is also reflected in the music and lyrics. In a way, The Cure were always at their most impressive when their albums served their own catharsis. This was the case in 1982 with the dark, cold monolith “Pornography”, in 1989 with their album “Disintegration”, generally recognized as a masterpiece, and so it is on “Songs of a Lost World”.

(No) nostalgia?
As on “Pornography”, the drums boom reverb-soaked and, as on “Disintegration”, the sound mix is more cinemascope than pop. The tempo remains mostly slow and the typical The Cure harmonies, melodies and arrangements run through the songs. Nevertheless, “Songs of a Lost World” is not a nostalgia show. The minimalism of the early days is completely missing. The new work has a heavier and more modern production, the sound is often so dense that it threatens to implode and almost overwhelms the listener.

“Alone“
The opener “Alone” joins a series of fantastic opening tracks from the past. Dense keyboard harmonies, a thundering, incredibly loud bass, the unmistakable sparkling bass VI guitar melodies. After three and a half minutes, Smith’s barely aged voice begins: “This is the end of every song that we sing.” We don’t find out whether this is really the case until 45 minutes later. Maybe.

“And Nothing Is Forever“
“And Nothing Is Forever” is the first, but not the last, emotional ballad about the death and farewell of an important person, carried by piano, strings and the familiar Cure guitars.

“A Fragile Thing“
… the only pop moment, evokes memories of the albums “Wish” and “Bloodflowers”, but is clearly located in the here and now.

“Warsong“
… took my breath away the first time I heard it. Not since “Pornography” have The Cure been so dark, hard and yes, even political. In its desperation and violence, “Warsong” is on the same level as “100 Years” and “Cold” and makes all goth hearts beat faster. Promised.

“Drone: No Drone“
… with its mid-tempo groove is reminiscent of the rocky tracks on “Bloodflowers” and lightens the mood towards the middle of the album. This song may take a few listens to get going. But once it has grabbed hold of you, it won’t let you go so quickly. Thematically, “Drone: No Drone” is about Robert Smith versus the modern world.

“I Can Never Say Goodbye“
On “I Can Never Say Goodbye”, Smith cleverly links the death of his brother with Ray Bradbury’s novel “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. You can feel how personal this song is.

“All I Ever Am“
… is the most accessible song on the album in terms of harmonies alongside “A Fragile Thing”, including a wonderful bass solo by Simon Gallup. In the chorus, Smith delivers one of the best vocal melodies on the album.

“Endsong“
The crowning finale is “Endsong”. A 10-minute monster of billowing keyboards, booming bass, sluggish rhythms and screeching guitars. This shows above all what an asset Reeves Gabrels has become for the band, without whom the album would be a different one. The guitarist, who was something like David Bowie’s sidekick in the nineties, has been a member of The Cure since 2012, but this is the first time he can be heard on studio recordings.

Swan song?
Official sources have confirmed that a total of 26 songs were recorded for the album. Only Smith himself knows whether the rest will ever be released. But if this is The Cure’s last album, it would be a successful conclusion to one of the most fascinating careers in music history. “Songs of a Lost World” shows them once again in top form in the autumn of their career and will make a lot of people very happy. And what could be better in times like these? The Cure is back and I am home.

Ashley Dayour

Watch the lyric video for “A Fragile Thing” here: