ALBUM REVIEW: The Cure’s ‘Songs Of A Lost World’

Following a 16-year absence, gothic rock pioneers The Cure released their 14th studio album, which contemplates various issues in their signature sound.

On Nov. 1, legendary British gothic rock band The Cure released their 14 studio album “Songs Of A Lost World.” An album that captures the sound that made them famous while displaying an older and more mature outlook on life. 

In 1976, The Cure was formed in Crawley, West Sussex, England.  Led by discographer Robert Smith who is the only original member still remaining in the band. Initially at the forefront of the post-punk and new wave movements coming out of the United Kingdom, the band later moved toward a darker style, pioneering both gothic rock and the goth subculture which emerged in the 1980s.  

Following the release of albums like “Pornography,” “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me” and “Disintegration” in the 1980s, The Cure reached high commercial success with singles like “Lovesong” and “Just Like Heaven,” resulting in over 30 million albums sold worldwide as of 2024, according to Official Charts. The band would ultimately slow down on album releases following the 1980s, only releasing five studio albums between 1990 and 2023. 

In 2019, The Cure was highlighted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Smith later stating the band was looking to release an album later that year. No album was released, and the same claim was made in 2022, once again resulting in no album due to it being unfinished, although new material was played during the band’s tour that year. 

In September 2024, The Cure released the single “Alone,” and later announced that their album “Songs Of A Lost World” would be released Nov. 1, becoming the band’s first album since “4:13 Dream” was released in 2008. “Songs Of A Lost World” features eight songs totaling over 49 minutes long. The album was entirely written by Smith, the first album by The Cure he has written in full since 1985’s “The Head on the Door.” “Songs Of A Lost World features the singles “Alone,” “A Fragile Thing” and “All I Ever Am.” 

“Alone” opens the album and nears seven minutes in length, with the lyrics not beginning until over three minutes into the track. The song perfectly captures The Cure’s brooding instrumentals and Smith’s melancholic lyrics featuring a reference to Ernest Dowson’s poem “Dregs.” The lyrics read like someone returning home but not recognizing anything anymore, perhaps a hint to the band’s feelings as they reach nearly 50 years of existence. 

Much like the album’s opener, “And Nothing Is Forever” approaches seven minutes in length and opens with a long instrumental. In an interview promoting the album posted to the band’s YouTube channel, Smith explains the song is about him making a promise to an ill friend that he would be there when his friend died, admitting that he was not there and wrote the song to reconcile with himself. You can clearly hear the love Smith shows for his late friend, adding to the sad beauty of the track. 

“A Fragile Thing” is the love song of the album, according to Smith’s comments in the promotional interview. The lyrics reflect the fragility of loving somebody with a tense piano chord progression and a walking bass line. The song realistically depicts a relationship as occasionally rocky and stressful and details the regret one can feel for their actions. Despite being the love song of the album, the track likely isn’t going on anybody’s playlist they send their partner, but the gothic outlook on love accurately captures The Cure and remains true to the band’s aesthetic. 

“Warsong” details Smith’s outlook on society, believing that as he grows older people progressively become more evil. The song opens with an organ tune, reminiscent of a funeral that plays throughout the entirety of the song. Smith’s outlook on society has maintained the often-pessimistic view associated with the gothic subculture, perhaps now believing it is too late in life for him to change the endless cycle he has witnessed older generations fall into. 

“Drone: Nodrone” features a thumping bass, a guitar solo fronted by a wah-wah pedal of a guitar and aggressive lyrics, resulting in the song sounding straight out of a grungy alley in the 1990s. Smith’s frustration with being out of place and disagreeing with others would trick the listener into believing he is 45 years younger, displaying the timelessness of his songwriting and ability to transcend his age. “Drone: Nodrone” contrasts the most with the album’s other songs yet does not negatively stand out and instead is a pleasant surprise tucked in the middle of the track list. 

“I Can Never Say Goodbye” is written about the death of Smith’s brother Richard. The inescapable reality Smith talks about likely serves as a heavy reminder of his own age. The vulnerability Smith shows at the end of the chorus singing “Something wicked this way comes, I can never say goodbye” captures the heavy burden of grief, and how regardless of the length of time you have with someone, it never feels like enough.  

“All I Ever Am” once again seems to revolve around Smith’s realization of aging and additionally struggling with self-identity. Being in the public eye for 45 years, Smith was still growing up and figuring out who he was when The Cure began, adding an unimaginable amount of pressure to be someone. Smith discusses his fatigue, possibly explaining the band’s large gap between studio albums. 

“Songs Of A Lost World” closes with “Endsong,” a ten-minute-long masterpiece. Over six minutes pass before the lyrics begin, with Smith looking back at the boy he once was. He felt like he was on top of the world. The song references the loss of Smith’s aforementioned brother, along with both of his parents who passed away in recent years. “Endsong” is appropriately named, perfectly closing out the album but also serving as an appropriate last track to the long-anticipated album. 

I would claim that “Alone” and “Endsong” are my favorite songs on the album. Serving as a return and a goodbye, they are a powerful and emotional showing for listener’s first and last impression. The album itself is truly beautiful, as Smith’s songwriting has masterfully matured much like he has, and despite the length of many songs, the band leaves me wanting even more.  

“Songs Of A Lost World” is worthy of the early critical acclaim it has received, and if The Cure are to release at least one more album and retire at the end of the decade as Smith anticipated in the album’s promotional interview, fans and critics will likely view The Cure as one of the highest quality bands of all time. 

To listen to the album, “Songs Of A Lost World” is currently out on all music streaming platforms.