The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World

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The Cure are back, and it’s a dark and beautiful thing. Songs of a Lost World is the first new music from the band in roughly 16 years, and the long-awaited new LP doesn’t disappoint. In many ways, this new record feels like the direct successor of 1989’s Disintegration, what most fans consider The Cure’s finest work, and the comparisons in stylistic choices and the artistic direction can be felt on this concise 8-song album. The set of songs was composed entirely by goth rock icon, Robert Smith, and was co-produced by Smith and Paul Corkett (Tori Amos, Placebo). Each of these tracks are brooding with long intros to set just the right tone before Smith’s trademark vocals break through the wall of sound with veteran ease. Robert Smith sounds as confident and strong as he’s ever been, while his bandmates rally around his every word. On the opening track of “Alone” Robert Smith shared, ”It’s the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded, I knew it was the opening song and I felt the whole album come into focus. that was the moment when I knew the song – and the album – were real.” By letting everything come flowing through him, Smith and The Cure have delivered a late-career masterpiece.

”Alone” kicks off the record by setting the perfect tone that takes the listener back to 1989, where The Cure were on top of the music world with their sprawling Disintegration, and Robert Smith lets the instrumental intro bleed out for about three minutes before the vocals finally break through. The haunting closing lyrics of, “Where did it go? / Broken-voiced lament to call us home / This is the end of every song we sing / Alone,” give the impression that Smith is grappling with mortality and the recently announced decision for The Cure to retire in the near future.

The piano-laced “And Nothing Is Forever” is gorgeous in its composition, and it gradually adds in a sweeping orchestra section to round out the vision brought forth. The painstaking lyrics in the chorus of, “And slide down close beside me in the silence of a heartbeat / And wrap your arms around me with a murmured lullaby / As a memory of the first time, in the stillness of a teardrop / As you hold me for the last time in the dying of the light,” are vintage-The Cure, while still showcasing what has made this band such an important part of the rock scene over the last five decades.

My personal favorite comes on the second single to be released from the record, with the bass-heavy “A Fragile Thing.” Bassist Simon Gallup’s bass riffs take center stage while drummer Jason Cooper adds in some unique fills behind Smith’s vocals to round out the band’s sound. Robert Smith’s vivid lyrics on this track recount a conversation he had as he shares in the second verse, “‘Every time you leave me is a lie,’ she said / ‘You make-believe you need me / But you try too hard, and it feels so wrong / You promise me forever, and you say it won’t be long / But it’s too late now for me to just forget / I never thought I’d need to feel regret for all I never was / But all this time alone has left me hurt and sad and lost.'” The haunting piano by Roger O’Donnell in between the verses and choruses is consistent and a striking reminder of the musician’s importance to the band.

”Warsong” closes out the front-half of the record with a strong combination of intricate, and wailing guitar riffing from Smith and Reeves Gabrels, while the rest of the band picks their spots to add in just the right complementing sounds. The simple, yet powerful lyrics of “However we regret / All we will ever know / Is bitter ends / For we are born to war,” is a staunch reminder of the world we live in, and just how big of a part violence weighs on our mental health.

”Drone:Nodrone” offers another standout moment for bassist Simon Gallup with a great-sounding metal riff that repeats throughout the track to highlight it’s importance. The lyrics of, “I lose my reason / When I fall through the door / Endless black night / Lost in looking for more / At least I know now / How I lose it before / One last shot at happiness,” are drenched in Goth rock lore, and are a great reminder that The Cure haven’t lost a step.

The tragedy found on “I Can Never Say Goodbye” opens with thunder and clouds rolling in as the storm takes the audience on a journey through the darkness. Robert Smith recounts his brother’s passing as he shares, “I’m down on my knees / And empty inside / Something wicked this way comes / On that cruel November night / Something wicked this way comes / To steal away my brother’s life / Something wicked this way comes / I can never say goodbye.” It’s a fragile moment on the record that grapples with mortality as a whole, while still recognizing the frail moments that can come when death is directly at our doorstep. In the beginning of The Cure’s career, Smith romanticized the concept of death, but he strikes a far more different tone here knowing that is has directly affected his immediate family.

”All I Ever Am” continues down the path of artistic growth as drummer Jason Cooper offers up another great example of his importance to The Cure, while the fuzz pedals on the guitars lend themselves well to the atmospheric sound the band was going for. As Smith ponders on the chorus of, “I lose all my life like this, reflecting time and memories / And all for fear of what I’ll find if I just stop and empty out my mind / Of all the ghosts and all the dreams, all I hold to in belief / That all I ever am is somehow never quite all I am now,” you can’t help but wonder if The Cure set out to make a career-defining moment on this album to showcase their staying power in the crowded rock scene. Everything fits cohesively into place on this epic Goth rock track that leaves the listener with the haunting final lyric of, “And all for fear of what I’ll find if I just stop.”

”Endsong” strikes just the right tone as an album closer with Cooper’s repetitious drum beat that acts as a pulse for the song as it moves along over the course of more than ten minutes. While Smith cuts through the sound by sharing, “Yeah, I’m outside in the dark / Staring at the blood-red moon / Remembering the hopes and the dreams I had / And all I had to do / And wondering what became of that boy / And the world he called his own / I’m outside in the dark / Wondering how I got so old,” to come closer to terms with his mortality and the legacy he wants to leave behind. The band continues to rally around these words until Smith offers the final thought of, “Left alone with nothing at the end of every song / Left alone with nothing.” The reality is that The Cure have left us with something much more than nothing on Songs of a Lost World. In fact, they have directly cemented their status as rock legends on this standout record that deserves immediate praise for its ability to connect the personal moments Robert Smith shares with the overall state of the world we all share with the Goth icon. While Robert Smith mentions that he feels “alone” at several instances on this LP, nothing could be further from the truth as the music world once again rallies around The Cure to complete that connection.

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