Robert Smith, the frontman of The Cure, has spoken about how performing songs from the band’s latest album, Songs of a Lost World, has helped him deal with the grief of losing close family members in recent years. In a conversation with BBC Radio 6 Music’s Huw Stephens, Smith said that singing live had become “hugely cathartic” in escaping the “doom and gloom” he was feeling. The song Alone, the band’s first new music in 16 years and the lead single from the album, was performed in the London show. Smith expressed relief upon finishing the process of creating the album, explaining that completing song lyrics he deemed worthy had become more difficult with age.
Although the songs in the latest album were written as far back as 2010, events of recent years, including the loss of close family members, gave it a personal feel according to Smith. His late brother Richard particularly inspired the track I Can Never Say Goodbye, which highlighted grief-stricken frustration and regret. The album has attracted positive reviews. Neil McCormick of The Telegraph awarded it five stars and described it as “perversely uplifting in its nihilism and the best thing since their debut”.
Formed in 1978, The Cure continues to endure as alternative rock’s goth icons. Smith remains the band’s only constant member, followed closely by long-time bassist Simon Gallup. The band’s 14th album is much tighter in length, with only eight tracks. Its darkness and atmospherics mirror 1982’s Pornography and 1989’s critically-acclaimed Disintegration. However, Songs Of A Lost World is considerably shorter in runtime than those albums. Classic melancholy on paper perhaps, it sounds brutally honest, unapologetically raging, and resigned in equal measure.
Smith recently suggested that the band may come to an end around their 50th anniversary in 2028, by which time he will be around 70. But he denies that the band is ready to stand still, saying that he is “almost there” with the second album. “Once I’ve done that, then I shall take a deep breath and then I’ll look up, but until I finish it I’m not bothering about what comes next.” The Cure appeared in good spirits during their Radio 2 In Concert performance, exchanging smiles, and Smith was playfully dancing around during the encore that
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