Fans of The Cure (finally) have something new to listen to. On Friday 1 November, the band released their first album since 2008, Songs of a Lost World. While it’s never easy to make a comeback in the music world, these melancholy songs about death and bereavement have been applauded by the specialist press.
And 14. Although its release has been postponed several times, The Cure’s latest album has been in stores and on platforms since the first day of November, 16 years after their last opus, 4.13 Dream. Songs of a Lost World was written by frontman Robert Smith during a period of bereavement for a number of people close to him. This theme is the guiding principle of the album, which is imbued with a sublime melancholy. It contains eight tracks totalling almost 50 minutes, with a final song of over 10 minutes called Endsong. On 1 March, the album will be shortlisted for ‘Album of the Year’ at the Brit Awards 2025. The Cure, meanwhile, are nominated in the ‘Band of the Year’ and ‘Best Alternative/Rock Band’ categories.
A critically acclaimed album
The work of the band, which has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, has been acclaimed by the critics. The Guardian gave it a five-star rating, stating that ‘the band is at its artistic peak: melancholic and moving, with a punchy sound to match the emotional impact of the lyrics’. For Rolling Stones, Robert Smith has ‘reached into the depths of his cobwebbed heart, sinking into adult loss and grief’. According to Pitchfork, the album is ‘a work of wisdom and grace that extends naturally from the moment the Cure picked up their instruments in a church hall all those years ago.’
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French journalist Joseph Ghosn, deputy editor-in-chief of Madame Figaro, commented: ‘The Cure have produced an album that does a great deal for the memory, with hypnotic songs that grab you and stay with you. It’s a very beautiful, very contemporary album, and Smith’s range hasn’t changed a bit. For Odile de Plas, head of Télérama’s music section, the album is ‘a joy to listen to from start to finish’ and ‘could be compared to Disintegration (1989) for the length of the tracks and the dark, haunting quality’.
The Cure is not dead, long live The Cure
This album increases the reputation of the English band, which could have disappointed its audience after such a long period without a release, and consolidates the musical aura of songwriter, singer and guitarist Robert Smith, who has been with The Cure since its beginnings. Officially formed in 1978, the band has reformed several times and now includes, in addition to its emblematic leader with black eye make-up and tousled hair, musicians Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell and Reeves Gabrels.
Like Depeche Mode and New Order, the band embodies the British New Wave movement and was a major influence on the gothic trend of the 80s and 90s. The band is known for its emphasis on bass and its dark atmosphere.
Their first album, Three Imaginary Boys, came out in 1979, with an alternative punk sound. Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981) and Pornography (1982) followed. Pornography reached the top 10 in the UK. The Top (1984) and The Head on the Door (1985) took on a more pop feel, less sombre than the previous albums. In 1987, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me marked a more electric era. Two years later, with the album Desintegration, the band made a comeback with darker tones. It was a big hit, especially the singles Lullaby and Lovesong.
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In 1992, Wish was released, reaching number 1 in the UK and number 2 in America. Four years later, the experimental album Wild Mood Swings was unveiled. The year 2000 saw the release of Bloodflowers. 2004 saw the release of The Cure, followed by 4:13 Dream in 2008, before a long break in the studio.
The band’s greatest hits include Pictures of You, A Forest, Just Like Heaven, Disintegration, In Between Days, Faith, The Perfect Boy and, of course, the iconic Boys Don’t Cry. After a career spanning almost 50 years, The Cure continue to galvanise their followers, drawing generations into their unique and legendary world.
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Featured photo : © DR
