The Cure releases ‘Alone’, first song in 16 years, ahead of new album

This new track from the British rock group, taken from an album to be released on November 1st, puts an end to a long wait. The album will be preceded by a double charity live single recorded in France.

Promised for years, the return of The Cure to the recording world is confirmed. The British rock group revealed on Thursday, September 26, Aloneher first new song in 16 years, premiered on Mary Ann Hobbs’ show on BBC Radio 6.

This single, which The Cure has been playing for two years as the opening act for all of its tour concerts Shows of a Lost Worldannounces a new album. Called Songs of a Lost World, This 14th studio album, announced for November 1st, will follow 4:13 Dream released in 2008.

Alone is a symphonic ballad with poignant lyrics, in which Robert Smith looks back on the past and regrets “our hopes and dreams flew away” – “We were sure we would never change, and it stopped“he adds.This is the song that unlocked the album, as soon as it was recorded, I knew it was the opening track, and I felt the album was taking shape.“, the singer and songwriter said in a statement read by Mary Ann Hobbs.

This album was written and arranged by Robert Smith, who co-produced and mixed the songs with Paul Corkett. It was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

The release of this album had been rumored for years, since 2014 to be exact. Five years ago, it finally seemed to be getting clearer: Robert Smith promised an album for the end of 2019 at the latest. As early as April 2019, on the sidelines of the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he assured that this 14th album was “fucking good” and soon ready since already recorded and mixed. At the end of August, shortly after their fantastic concert at Rock en Seine, he delivered the working title, Live From The Moon (it has obviously changed since then).

At Los Angeles Timesthe leader of The Cure specified that the close loss of his loved ones (mother, father and brother) had influenced the content of this album, described as “really very dark“, close to the climate of Pornographywith “no songs to lighten the mood“. But, surprise, Robert Smith announced in October 2019 to the Mexican site Zocalo that he actually had three albums in the works, including one made up of titles “much freer” and played live, and another described as “completely crazy noise disc“.

Since the band has been adding more and more new songs to their tour setlist over the past two years, such as I Can Never Say Goodbye, A Fragile Thing, And Nothing is Forever Or Another Happy Birthdayit seems that it was the free songs played live option that won the day.

The rumor of an imminent album release has been confirmed these days: The Cure has changed its logo on social networks and posted an excerpt from Alone announcing its broadcast on the BBC this Thursday, and distributed a mysterious flyer in a pub in Crawley, Robert Smith’s stronghold in Sussex. A site called Songs of a Lost World was also launched, which displays the date of 1 in Roman numerals^er November 2024.

In the meantime, the band plans to release a double live single on October 1st, titled November: Live in France 2022 with unreleased tracks And Nothing Is Forever And I Can Never Say Goodbye. The first was recorded at the Arena in Montpellier on November 8, 2022 and the second five days later at the Zénith in Toulouse on November 13, 2022. This record will be released as an “eco-vinyl” and all profits will go to Earth Percent, Brian Eno’s climate foundation. The first hundred copies of this 5,000-copy pressing will be signed by Robert Smith.