The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

When a legendary band like The Cure releases their first album in 16 years, it's obviously one of the most important pieces of news the music world has to offer. A glance at the first reviews shows that Songs of a Lost World has been very well received by most journalists. In the next few lines, I'll try to explain whether this is also justified in my opinion.

First of all, I have to say that I currently have a big problem with the fact that I have to leave the house in the dark and also come home in the dark after work. I don't tend to have depressive episodes, but I do have a great longing for daylight. Now, The Cure are not something you would associate with rays of sunshine, but it's also good to have a soundtrack for your own mood - and at this point, Songs of a Lost World is an excellent companion.

As always, Robert Smith and Co. offer dark, melancholy, often fragile pearls that take time to develop. Therefore, any review at such an early stage can only be a momentary impression. After the first listen, it is already clear that this is a work with enormous potential for growth.

One of the strong points are the moving lyrics, as usual, which can sometimes knock the listener off his feet. Sometimes thoughts get stuck on individual verses for a long time, hitting you right in the gut because you think they are written for you personally. This intensity is particularly remarkable because Smith achieves it with relatively simple linguistic means. That's what you'd call the Champions League level, and rightly so.

Of course, it is not least this unmistakable, eternally young voice that captivates the listener. At this level, Smith is still one of the best in his craft, even at 65 – at least in terms of originality and intensity.

The tracks, all composed by the bandleader himself, are captivating in their variety. The opener “Alone“ immediately creates an irresistible mood that is as dark as it is comforting, making you forget everything around you. Rocking guitars like in “Drone:Nodrone“ - which, by the way, is a real hit for me - and in the brilliant, beautiful final track “Endsong“, which makes you want to kneel down, provide the partial heaviness that I need to be able to get excited about an album like Songs of a Lost World for a long time. Nothing ripples along here, something unexpected happens again and again to captivate the listener – for example, awesome, almost hypnotic drumming like in the terrific “All I Ever Am“. But the strings and piano playing in “And Nothing Is Forever“ is fantastic too and deserves a separate mention. In general, the record has a great flow, so it's extremely difficult for me at this point to highlight individual songs.

To summarise: Songs of a Lost World is an outstanding comeback from a band that can be described as indispensable without any ifs or buts – only The Cure sound like The Cure. Forget all the epigones out there. In this sense, there is a great deal in common with Depeche Mode, who have also been copied a thousand times over, but who have never been able to come close to them in terms of quality and emotion. If you feel the need to indulge in beautiful melancholy that moves and invigorates at the same time, Robert Smith is still the right choice in 2024. A late highlight of the year, released at exactly the right time.