Songs Of A Lost World

“I know that my world is grown old,” Robert Smith says in “And Nothing Is Forever”, one of the many standout tracks on The Cure’s 14th studio album and first in 16 years. Songs of a Lost World deals almost exclusively in death, dying and the relentless march of time; the songs move slowly, and many go on for minutes before Smith opens his mouth. There’s no pop hits, no hooks and—let’s face it—no fun. It’s also some of the band’s most engrossing work, a statement that, like most great Cure songs, can’t be taken lightly.

The glacially paced opener and lead single, “Alone”, is majestic and mournful, with string swells and apocalyptic lyrics about birds falling out of the sky. But mostly it’s about dying alone, the shattered pieces of a regret-filled life and the forgone conclusion that is our mutual demise: “This is the end of every song that we sing.” On “A Fragile Thing”, a plinking piano gives way to a thudding bassline as Smith sings of heartbreak, distance and fait accompli. It might be the closest the album comes to vintage ’80s Cure, but now the 65-year-old Smith’s customarily downbeat lyrics come with the weight of lived wisdom and cruel inevitability. “Warsong” twists the screws with a churning, droning meditation on domestic battles and bitter regret; at a bit over four minutes, it’s also the shortest song on the album.

“Drone:Nodrone” is the catchiest and most upbeat of the bunch—musically speaking, anyway. Smith’s lyrics are no picnic, of course. They’re not a completely hopeless death spiral, but they certainly acknowledge a tumultuous relationship: “The answers that I have are not the answers that you want” and “I can’t anymore/If I ever really could.” The track also features squalling guitar leads from former Tin Machine/David Bowie sideman Reeves Gabrels, who joined The Cure in 2012 but makes his first studio appearance with the band here. “I Can Never Say Goodbye” laments the death of Smith’s brother Richard with the refrain “Something wicked this way comes”, a phrase from Shakespeare popularised by the title of Ray Bradbury’s influential 1962 novel. (The Cure debuted the song in concert in 2022 in Poland, where Richard Smith apparently lived for many years.) Like much of Lost World, it’s a tearjerker.

With all this loss and mortality, Songs of a Lost World recalls Bowie’s 2016 swansong, Blackstar. Finishing an album about death with a sprawling, gorgeous track called “Endsong” isn’t necessarily ominous, but who knows? For what it’s worth, Smith is already promising a follow-up to Songs of a Lost World. Hopefully, it won’t take 16 years.

Tracklisting

  1. Alone
  2. And Nothing Is Forever
  3. A Fragile Thing
  4. Warsong
  5. Drone: Nodrone
  6. I Can Never Say Goodbye
  7. All I Ever Am
  8. Endsong

Apple Music


Videos

The Cure - Alone Official Lyric Video


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Release Information

Key Value
Wikipedia URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_a_Lost_World
Format Vinyl LP Album Bioplastic (Grey Marbled [Marble Stone], 180g)
Label Polydor
Catalog Number 7503683
Notes Retail exclusive version on “marble stone” heavyweight bio vinyl. Picture labels. Matte sleeve. The interior section of the pocket is printed black. Printed inner sleeve of top opening matte paper. The base colour on this version is pale grey. Hype sticker and country of manufacture sticker both applied to the shrink wrap. Includes a 24" square matte poster, which was sealed within the shrink wrap. Unknown amount of copies purchased at indie record stores include an extra A3 poster. Assai Records issued a hand-numbered edition of 500 with a Japanese style obi strip. ℗ & © 2024 Lost Music Limited ‘Made In The EU’ is printed on the back sleeve, ‘Made in Germany’ is stickered on the shrink wrap back. The runouts are all etched apart from the ‘-61171-’ elements which are stamped.
Discogs URL The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World