The Cure have released an album after a long hiatus. “Songs of the Lost World” is about end times and predictions of death. Musically and qualitatively, it is reminiscent of one of the great works of the British band.
Robert Smith, born in London in 1986.
Head tousled, eye sockets tinted with kohl and the mouth made up with red lipstick. The cosmetic badge of his pop star image can still be found on the face of 65-year-old Robert Smith. But the longer you look, the more you see traces of a spent force that seems to alienate its appearance with mocking intent. The cheeks are swollen. A cloud has come over the scene. And the skin is soft like damp paper. Is Robert Smith a caricature of himself today?
The art of growing old depends on your relationship with young people, said Robert Smith in an interview with the “New Musical Express” in 2019. The statement now applies immediately to the new album that The Cure is releasing after after a 16 year hiatus: “Songs of a Lost World”. How do you imagine your own childhood and your own history here?
This is an important question in that The Cure have always developed in one or two stylistic ways. Stages of teary-eyed scenes and hysterical jokes were contrasted with witty pop songs. Is it global crises or is it time to put pressure on Robert Smith’s neck? Anyway, on “Songs of a Lost World” Robert Smith strikes a dark tone again.
The Cure’s two-pronged approach can be traced back to its beginnings. Robert Smith made music with classmates Michael Dempsey on bass and Lol Tolhurst on drums for a year or so when they released “Boys Don’t Cry” in 1978. The song starts with a guitar chord. snappy and then delivers his message in a simple and lively way: Boys are not allowed to cry – Smith cries under pressure – not even at the end of a love affair.
The material was taken from life and rich enough for a lively pop song, which has become one of The Cure’s most famous titles. When he came out, hardly anyone in England recognized his striking ability. At least to Robert Smith himself, “Boys Don’t Cry” seemed too banal.
Born in Linndubh in 1959 into a middle-class family and educated both classically and Catholic in excellent schools, Smith dreamed of a career as a world-class artist. His role models included Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Nick Drake before he was swept away by the rebellious force of punk. In the late 1970s, when The Cure developed their own style, punk was already drifting into post-punk. The noise of crashing guitars transitioned into more expansive forms. The explosive substance of punk was lost in a cool, harsh monotony that resembled the sound of rising anti-Thatcherism.
Ian Curtis was important to Robert Smith because, on the one hand, he modeled himself on him – and, on the other hand, because he was compared to the idol and was inferior. Because it didn’t seem that the extravagance of the composed poseur, who was flirting with travesty and Gothic, was only artificially brought to life. Like The Cure’s first single “Killing an Arab” (1979), on which he pressed Albert Camus’ novel “L’Étranger” in song form.
“Arabic Slaughter” set the direction for the band’s development. The sad melodies and lyrics about teenage angst and disorientation were inspired by bands like Joy Division and The Wire. But The Cure certainly shaped their own sound on their first albums “Three Imaginary Boys” (1979), “Seventeen Seconds” (1980), “Faith” (1981) and “Pornography” (1982). Minimalism was served in unsettling rhythms and created sounds that seemed to have fog emerging from the blackness of hell.
British critics have often treated The Cure with reserve or even rejection. “Religion” sounds “hollow, shallow, inflated, meaningless, self-perpetuating and without heart or soul,” complained the “New Musical Express”. In 2005, pop historian Simon Reynolds described The Cure’s early albums as “crushingly uninspired.” He tried to explain the fact that The Cure had a growing audience drunk by the low level of fans – “an army of disconnected people, deprived people and lost dreamers”.
Robert Smith led The Cure from the subculture to the mainstream and back again.
Jump into the mainstream
Because of the reception of the audience, The Cure was less worried about the criticism. The internal problems and crises were worse for the band. Due to drug abuse and arguments, only Robert Smith remained of the original members, who later surrounded himself with various musicians. For him, the band remained an ambitious project in which he tried to combine hard sounds with ideological ideas. It was a surprise that he suddenly pushed The Cure into the mainstream in 1982.
When artists suddenly rise to fame beyond a staunch and patriarchal subculture, there are typical reasons for this: betrayal, sell-out – or brilliance that instantly appeals to a wide audience. Everything was real for Robert Smith when he suddenly came up with one clever pop song after another. According to Smith, songs like “Let’s Go to Bed” (1982) or “Love Cats” (1983) were parodies;
Due to his presence on MTV, Robert Smith became a pop personality who influenced not only the styling of pop stars such as Marilyn Manson or Boy George, but also film characters such as Edward in “Edward Scissorhands” or Eric in “The Crow”. Has this crushed The Cure singer’s pride? Not really. In the late 1980s he complained that he had become popular in pop culture. He wanted to return from pop music to art.
Before his thirtieth birthday, he planned to impress the world with a magnum opus. And when The Cure’s album “Dissolution” was released in 1989, it was celebrated as a masterpiece. The band mixed their sound with a big fan and let them flow into exuberant rhapsodies. When rock musicians, driven by pretensions, flirt with symphonic art, the risk of kitsch is always very high. Here, however, associations and paths grew together in a magical sound. And when the sigh of the singer is heard above the roaring like the calls of seagulls, you felt as if you were in the high mass of romance.
Download up to death
The new album proves how important Robert Smith himself is to “Dissolution”. “Songs of a Lost World” feels like an echo of that or a convincing late sequel. The flute rhythms are as reminiscent of his 1980s seminal work as the melancholic strumming of the electric guitar, electronics and strings. And like that time, Robert Smith always uses minute intros before he starts his voice.
Actually, the guts do not mark the beginning, but the beginning to the finale. It is after long instrumental parts that the singer begins his sad, semi-apocalyptic songs: as if he only found his fate when the end was approaching. Visions of the end times and longing for death have inspired Robert Smith before. At the time, lowlifes may have interpreted this as post-puberty posture. Meanwhile, 65 years of his entire life confirms his pessimistic tone.
Even worse are the messages he calls into the autumn in a world shaken by war and crises. If Robert Smith has his way, everything comes to an end. Storms of beats and sounds rage in “Warsong”. “Vulnerable Song” is about a relationship that is turning cold. In “Aonair” “the end of every song we sing”.
Should we be worried about Robert Smith? Hardly! The singer already has more albums planned. Above all, his discomfort is an art. But you should take this seriously and worry about the world.
Synthesizers that create an atmospheric soundscape. This nostalgic blend showcases Smith’s continued evolution as an artist while staying true to his roots, thus capturing both old fans and garnering new listeners.
As The Cure’s music has progressed, thematic exploration of love, loss, and existential angst has remained consistent. Smith’s introspective lyrics resonate deeply with fans who identify with their feelings of isolation and longing. The band’s ability to adapt to changing musical landscapes while maintaining their unique sound has allowed them to remain relevant over decades.
Despite mainstream success, Smith has often expressed a desire to return to the band’s more avant-garde roots. His ambivalence toward fame is reflected in The Cure’s art, often walking the line between pop accessibility and artistic expression. Albums like “Wish” and “Bloodflowers” illustrate this juxtaposition, featuring catchy hooks alongside darker, more complex themes.
In essence, Robert Smith and The Cure have carved a unique niche in the music world. Their legacy is characterized by their refusal to conform strictly to pop or alternative genres, boldly exploring the depths of human emotion through innovative sound. As they continue to evolve with each album, they remain a source of inspiration for countless artists and fans around the world.