Songs of A Lost World, the fourteenth studio album released by The Cure, can be best described as long-awaited. Not only has it been sixteen years since the band’s last studio album, 4:13 Dream, which was met with lukewarm reviews from Rolling Stone and Uncut, but they have been teasing the album’s release with live performances of new songs throughout their tour, which has taken place over the last two years.
The album, released on the 1st November, is a deeply introspective, high production lamentation on ageing, grief, and the state of the world. This tone is immediately established in the opening track, Alone, with crashing drums that echo within a vast soundscape. After 3 minutes and 22 seconds of introduction, the first lyric rings out: “This is the end of every song that we sing.” Melancholy and existential, it is a far cry from the colourful, frenetic post punk sound of well-known songs Boys Don’t Cry and Lovecats, and although the album retains the gothic influences of 1989’s Disintegration, it is altogether darker.
It’s worth noting that this is the second album in The Cure’s discography written by Robert Smith alone, which explains the deeply personal themes that are prevalent in many of the tracks such as the devastating I Can Never Say Goodbye. The song deals with the loss of Robert Smith’s brother, as highlighted by the lyric “Something wicked this way comes, to steal away my brother’s life.” The last track on the album, aptly titled Endsong, is a 10 minute long epic; a culmination of the emotion and drama of the previous seven songs.
However in contrast to the despairing repetition of the line ‘It’s all gone’, the heavy beat and electric guitar which accompany the vocals almost feel triumphant. After all, it is a triumph to create an album so bleak and intimate, yet still have it feel like a carefully crafted, skillful masterpiece.
Songs of a Lost World has been well received by fans of The Cure, and the band played live for BBC Radio 2 in Concert on 30th October, an event that was described by one audience member as “like a sound bath”.
In a post-performance interview with Jo Wiley, Robert Smith talked about the experience of playing live, particularly as a band that has had such longevity in their career: “I always want us to go on stage and play the best show ever, including today.” His motivation to continue writing music for The Cure came partially from performing with the band. As he explained, “The response to the Hyde Park thing [The Cure’s 40th anniversary show in 2018]… it did really excite me, and I thought, I want to do this again”.
Although in some ways it may feel like it, Songs of a Lost World might well not be the grand finale of the band’s career. Robert Smith told NME in 2020 that this was only one of three potential albums made up of new material. When asked about whether all three albums would eventually be released the singer jokingly said, “You’ll be lucky to get one, the way I’m working!”
Given the quality and the depth of emotion in Songs of a Lost World, it looks as though fans of The Cure were lucky after all, even despite the wait.
Lyric of the week: “And resignation moves me slow/ Toward a dark and empty stage/ Where I can sing the world I know.”
This lyric encapsulates the gothic imagery of the album, as well as the importance that music holds in difficult times.