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Songs of a Lost World

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Songs of a Lost World
Studio album by
the Cure
Released1 November 2024 (2024-11-01)
Recorded2019–2022
StudioRockfield (Monmouthshire, Wales)
Genre
Length49:13
Label
Producer
The Cure chronology
Torn Down
(2018) 		Songs of a Lost World
(2024)
Singles from Songs of a Lost World
  1. "Alone"
    Released: 26 September 2024
  2. "A Fragile Thing"
    Released: 9 October 2024

Songs of a Lost World is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 1 November 2024 via Fiction,[3]: 113  Lost Music, Universal,[4] Polydor, and Capitol Records.[5] It is the band's first release of new material in 16 years since the release of 4:13 Dream in 2008. All the songs on the album were composed solely by singer/guitarist Robert Smith, for the first time since the 1985 album The Head on the Door. It is also their first studio album to feature Reeves Gabrels, although he was previously featured on the band's 1997 single "Wrong Number".

Upon release, the album received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the lyrics, dark sound,[6] and Smith's vocals.[7] It was also a commercial success, being their first album since Wish (1992) to reach number one in the UK,[8] and was also one of the fastest selling albums of 2024, having at one point outsold the entire top 10 of the week combined.[9] It also reached number one in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.

Background

Songs of a Lost World was several years in the making, and is the Cure's first studio album since 4:13 Dream in 2008. The album was originally intended for release in 2019.[5] It is the band's first full-length album to feature Reeves Gabrels on guitar since he joined as a full time member in 2012. It also features the studio return of keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, who rejoined the band in 2011 after a six-year hiatus.

Five of the album's songs, including "Alone",[10] had been performed live in 2022 and 2023 during their Shows of a Lost World worldwide tour.[3]: 108  Multi-instrumentalist Perry Bamonte rejoined the band in 2022 for that tour, but does not appear on the album because most of the recording was completed in 2019.[3]: 111 

The songs were entirely written, composed, and arranged by Robert Smith.[3]: 107  During the writing process, Smith had difficulty "find[ing] the right imagery" for the lyrics to "Alone", ultimately finding inspiration from the Ernest Dowson poem "Dregs".[3]: 109  AllMusic noted that "themes of loss, isolation, impermanence, and mortality" were present in the lyrics.[11]

Artwork

Smith chose Bagatelle, a 1975 sculpture by Slovenian artist Janez Pirnat, to illustrate the sleeve.[4] The album cover was then designed by Andy Vella.[12]

The album booklet contains lyrics to an unreleased song, “Bodiam Sky,” which was originally intended to conclude the album. Robert Smith noted in an interview prior to the album’s release that the song may feature on the follow-up album to Songs of a Lost World.

Promotion

The album's release was officially announced on 26 September 2024, with the release of the lead single, "Alone",[12] and a dedicated website.[10] The track listing was revealed by an email sent to mailing list members on 9 October 2024, and was subsequently posted on the Cure's official website.

The second single, "A Fragile Thing", was released on 9 October 2024.[13] On 14 October 2024, Smith said that a tour in support of Songs of a Lost World will begin in “autumn next year” after the completion of a projected follow-up album.[14]

The band performed a concert at BBC Radio Theatre on 31 October, one hour broadcast by BBC Radio 2 on the In Concert show including versions of "Alone", "A Fragile Thing" and "Endsong",[15] and another hour broadcast by BBC Radio 6 Music for Huw Stephens show, including versions of "I Can Never Say Goodbye", "And Nothing Is Forever" and "All I Ever Am".[16]

Release

The album was released on multiple formats. The vinyl was released through six different variants in the UK, all pressed on bioplastic on Polydor: black, marble stone, marble stone with obi, white, picture disc and picture disc 'glow in the dark'. Another vinyl edition is double half-speed mastered version. A further US bioplastic vinyl was released on Capitol records. There were also a cassette edition and a double cassette.

In addition to the standard CD, a 2xCD+Blu-Ray deluxe edition featuring instrumental versions of all 8 songs was also released, along with a Blu-ray featuring Hi-Res stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the songs.

A further digital-only deluxe edition of the album was released on November 5 2024, featuring live versions of five songs from the album performed at Shoreline Amphitheater in 2023.[17] This edition features unique faded/white artwork.[18]

The album went to number one on the UK Albums chart, with 51,362 sales the first week (19,838 CDs, 23,182 vinyl albums, 1,219 cassettes, 4,546 digital downloads and 2,577 sales-equivalent streams).[19] It also reached the number one position in France, selling 20,678 units the first week.[20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.8/10[21]
Metacritic93/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Clash9/10[23]
The Guardian[24]
The Irish Times[25]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[26]
Mojo[7]
NME[27]
Pitchfork7.9/10[28]
The Times[29]
Uncut9/10[30]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Songs of a Lost World received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 from 23 critic scores.[22] Franck Vergeade of Les Inrockuptibles reported that "only two listens were authorized by the record company" to review the album: he qualified it "flamboyant gothic".[31] Andrew Trendell of NME gave the album a five-star review, stating "there's always enough heart in the darkness and opulence in the sound to hold you", and believed it was "arguably the most personal album of Smith's career. Mortality may loom, but there's colour in the black and flowers on the grave".[27]

Éamon de Paor of The Irish Times praised the album, giving it four stars and describing it as "Majestically desolate, gorgeously grim", adding that "It moves like a glacier at midnight – magnificent, unstoppable and with a chill that settles in hard and heavy and does not leave." De Paor likened the sound of the album to bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, Pink Floyd, and New Order.[25]

Sam Walker-Smart of Clash gave a score of 9/10, and felt the album "is one of their most emotionally raw", citing "Endsong" as the highlight of the album.[23] John Robb of Louder Than War gave the album a score of 5/5, observing, "An album of elegiac, brooding masterpieces that deal with the heartbreak of loss with dark, masterful music dripping with melody, nuance and atmosphere."[6]

Victoria Segal of Mojo gave the album four out of five stars, praising Smith's vocals: "On a record so alert to the cataclysmic effects of mortality, it’s remarkable how fundamentally unchanged Smith’s voice is", while also noting the album lacked anything "approaching a pop song ... The 'Never Enough' grooves of the spectacular 'Drone' slide closest to a gear-change, but even there, the ground is unsteady."[7] The Times's Will Hodgkinson praised it in a five-star review saying: "On the goth rockers' first album in 16 years, Robert Smith tackles the death of loved ones and his own demise in music of expansive sophistication".[29]

Fred Thomas of Allmusic praised the album and felt "The eight songs... often reach the same slow-moving grandeur of the Cure's high-water mark album, 1989's Disintegration, only without any of the playful pop".[32]Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "Robert Smith reaches into the depths of his cobwebbed heart; it's the best Cure album since Disintegration"[33] describing the album as a “vividly propulsive space-rock goth elegy, eight songs in fifty minutes, kicking with a full-blooded band attack.”[34] However the German edition of Rolling Stone was less enthusiastic and criticized the album for "flat songs" that sounded "redundant" with endless introductions.[35]

Stephan Boissonneault of Cult MTL gave an enthusiastic review saying, “This album is practically flawless, harkening back to the endless black nights of the Cure’s ’80s discography. And it gets better with every listen.” But he found "And Nothing is Forever" to be the only "flat song" on the album, scoring the album 8/10.[36]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Robert Smith.

Songs of a Lost World track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Alone"6:48
2."And Nothing Is Forever"6:53
3."A Fragile Thing"4:43
4."Warsong"4:17
5."Drone:Nodrone"4:45
6."I Can Never Say Goodbye"6:03
7."All I Ever Am"5:21
8."Endsong"10:23
Total length:49:13

Personnel

The Cure

Production

  • Paul Corkett – production, recording, mixing
  • Jack Boston – recording assistance
  • Joe Jones – recording assistance
  • Bunny Lake – recording assistance
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Miles Showell – vinyl mastering
  • Andy Vella – art, design
  • Janez Pirnat – Bagatelle sculpture

Charts

Chart performance for Songs of a Lost World
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 5
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[38] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[39] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[40] 1
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[41] 12
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[42] 29
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[43] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[44] 7
French Albums (SNEP)[45] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[46] 1
Greek Albums (IFPI)[47] 19
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[48] 17
Irish Albums (OCC)[49] 3
Italian Albums (FIMI)[50] 2
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[51] 45
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[52] 80
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[53] 3
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[54] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[55] 1
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[56] 88
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[57] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[58] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[59] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[60] 1
US Billboard 200[61] 4
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[62] 1

References

  1. ^ Boissonneault, Stephan (7 November 2024). "The Cure, Songs of a Lost World: REVIEW". Cult MTL. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  2. ^ Zavaleta, Jonathan (4 November 2024). "The Cure's Long-Awaited 'Songs of a Lost World' Tops Amazon's CD and Vinyl Bestseller List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Everitt, Matt. "Keeping the Faith". Uncut (December 2024).
  4. ^ a b Pearls, Bill. "The Cure officially announce new album 'Songs of a Lost World' and share first single "Alone"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Thomas (26 September 2024). "The Cure Share First New Song in 16 Years, Announce Album Release Date". Billboard. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b Robb, John (16 October 2024). "The Cure: Songs Of A Lost World – Album Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Segal, Victoria (16 October 2024). "The Cure Songs Of A Lost World Review: An audaciously bleak, beautiful journey". Mojo. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  9. ^ "The Cure on track for first Number 1 album in 32 years with Songs Of A Lost World". Official Charts. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  10. ^ a b Luamanuvae, Adele. "The Cure Announce New Album 'Songs Of A Lost World'". The Music. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b Thomas, Fred (1 November 2024). "Songs of a Lost World - The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b Zemler, Emily (26 September 2024). "The Cure Invite Loneliness on New Song 'Alone'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  13. ^ Breihan, Tom (9 October 2024). "The Cure Share New Song "A Fragile Thing": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  14. ^ Fu, Eddie (14 October 2024). "The Cure Will Retire After 50th Anniversary of Debut Album in 2029". Consequence. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Radio 2 In Concert". BBC. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Huw Stephens - 6 Music Session: The Cure Live". BBC. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  17. ^ Skinner, Tom (7 November 2024). "The Cure release 'Songs Of A Lost World' deluxe edition "due to demand"". NME. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  18. ^ Wijanarko, Pandu (9 November 2024). "The Cure Releases Deluxe Edition of Songs of a Lost World - Just Another Indonesia's Art & Culture Portal". Retrieved 10 November 2024.
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  20. ^ "The Cure Numéro des Ventes". Chartsinfrance. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Songs Of A Lost World by The Cure reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Songs of a Lost World by The Cure". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  23. ^ a b Walker-Smart, Sam (14 October 2024). "The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World". Clash. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  24. ^ Petridis, Alexis (18 October 2024). "The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – dark, personal and their best since Disintegration". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  25. ^ a b De Paor, Éamon. "The Cure: Songs of a Lost World track by track review – Majestically desolate, gorgeously grim". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  26. ^ Mills, Joshua (23 October 2024). "The Cure: "Songs Of A Lost World"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  27. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (11 October 2024). "The Cure – 'Songs Of A Lost World': a masterful reflection on loss". NME. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
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  29. ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will (23 October 2024). "The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review — a decaying masterpiece". The Times. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  30. ^ Watts, Peter (December 2024). "Songs of a Lost World". Uncut. No. 332. p. 113.
  31. ^ Vergeade, Franck. "Gothique Flamboyant [ Songs of a Lost World album review". Les Inrockuptibles (Novembre 2024): 107. Après seulement deux écoutes autorisées par la maison de disques (After only two listens authorized by the record company...)
  32. ^ Songs of a Lost World - The Cure | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 8 November 2024
  33. ^ Sheffield, Rob (28 October 2024). "The Cure Deliver the Power-Doom Epic We've Been Waiting For". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  34. ^ Zavaleta, Jonathan (4 November 2024). "The Cure's Long-Awaited 'Songs of a Lost World' Tops Amazon's CD and Vinyl Bestseller List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Zu Zerstreut(Too Scattered) [Songs of a Lost album review]". Rolling Stone (German Edition) (November 2024).
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  38. ^ "Longplay Charts vom 12. November 2024". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
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  42. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 45.Týden 2024 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
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  46. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cure – Songs of a Lost World" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  47. ^ "Official IFPI Charts: Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 44/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
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