The Cure Return to the Studio Better Than Ever With “Songs of a Lost World”

The Cure has released a new studio album, marking an end to their 16-year hiatus without one. Along with this release, frontman Robert Smith reveals that more projects from The Cure are in the works. 

Robert Smith of The Cure on stage at a show in Chile circa April 2013. Photo by Carlos Varela via Wikimedia Commons

After a 16-year hiatus, The Cure is back with a new studio album, “Songs of a Lost World.” With the album spanning eight tracks and clocking in at just under 50 minutes, The Cure delivers a selection of masterfully crafted songs for their latest album.

Prior to their latest release, The Cure’s last album, “4:13 Dream,” was released in 2008. When asked about why the gap between this record and their latest was so big in an interview with NPR, frontman Robert Smith said, “The short answer is: I have no idea.”

During the band’s hiatus, they had been writing and recording songs, and in 2019, Smith teased the idea of a new album from The Cure, leaving fans highly anticipatory. The band recorded nearly 30 songs in 2019; however, COVID-19 stalled the project and pushed back the official release of any of these songs. 

Fast forward years later, Smith talks about the process of trying to pick which songs would go on what would become “Songs of a Lost World.”

“I think the mistake I made was trying to get 30 songs all finished together, so they all somehow hung together. And I realized at the start of this year that that really wasn't going to happen. So I reduced it down to 20, and then I reduced it down 10, and then I finally emerged with eight that I thought worked together best,” Smith said to NPR.

With “Songs of a Lost World,” Smith did just that. The eight tracks live in harmony with one another and place this latest release perfectly in the mix with the rest of The Cure’s expansive discography.

The opening track, “Alone,” starts off with an explosion of ambient sound, synths, pounding drums and the signature gothic guitar tone made famous by the band. The introduction of the song is reminiscent of “Plainsong” off of their 1989 critically acclaimed release, “Disintegration.”

This lead-off track gives fans a taste of what is to come with the rest of the album as it stays true to the classic sound of The Cure, and the six-minute 48-second runtime lets fans know the band is back to their usual selves.

The next song, “And Nothing Is Forever,” touches upon themes of growing old, time fleeting and death, concepts that reemerge throughout the record. Accompanied by a piano melody, Smith takes the time to reflect on his aging life.

“I know, I know/That my world has grown old/But it really doesn’t matter/If you say we’ll be together/If you promise you’ll be with me in the end,” sings Smith in “And Nothing Is Forever.”

“A Fragile Thing” also explores this idea of ‘the end’ and how time continues on despite our desire for it to slow down. The song has a dooming, heavy bassline that rips throughout, resembling the title track off of “Disintegration,” or something that might be heard on the band’s 1980 release “Seventeen Seconds.”

“Warsong” is one of the heavier tracks on the album, featuring noisy, slow-burning electric guitars that dominate the song. “Drone:Nodrone” is another track on the heavier side with sludgy guitars, showing how The Cure can take a more rock & roll approach to their sound as opposed to the gothic, post-punk category they are usually placed in.

“I Can Never Say Goodbye” is the most lyric-driven and somber song on the album. The song details Smith’s grief as he copes with the death of his brother, Richard. The most personal song on the record, Smith’s vulnerability is put on display.

“Something wicked this way comes/To steal my brother’s life/Something wicked this way comes/I can never say goodbye,” Smith sings. 

“All I Ever Am” circles back to the existential themes of death, old age and what will happen when it’s all over. The song encompasses elements of shoegaze, resembling the likes of My Bloody Valentine. 

The album ends with the fittingly titled song, “Endsong.” In classic fashion, the band ends the album with an 11-minute epic to close it out. The track brings together all the musical elements heard throughout the various songs for one last push on their comeback album. 

The Cure stays true to their roots with this album and maintains a consistent sound that allows this album to flow for a seamless listening experience. Sixteen years out of the studio seems to have had no hindrance on the group’s talent.

It is also worth noting that Smith’s vocals are in perfect shape, and he sounds virtually the same as he did in The Cure’s releases from 40 years ago, adding to the greatness of this record.

In an interview with Matt Everitt at Abbey Road Studios, Smith reveals his ambitious project he intends to pursue with the tracks that did not make it to “Songs of a Lost World.”

“We recorded three albums in 2019, that’s always been the problem. I’ve been trying to get three albums completed because my idea was like this: ‘After waiting this long, let’s just throw out Cure albums like every few months,’” Smith said, laughing.

There is a future full of musical abundance for fans of The Cure, with Smith teasing these other two albums that are yet to come. “Songs of a Lost World” has set the stage for The Cure to continue their success and to maintain their legendary status well into the 21st century.