Robert Smith has opened up about The Cure’s discography, and revealed which of the albums is his “least favourite”.
The frontman’s reflection on the band’s catalogue comes as they are gearing up to share long-awaited new album ‘Songs Of A Lost World’.
Set for release on November 1 (pre-order here), the record will mark the first from The Cure since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’, and it has already been previewed by two singles: ‘Alone’ and ‘A Fragile Thing’.
Ahead of the album arriving, Smith took part in a new interview, posted on the band’s new website over the weekend, and opened up to BBC Radio DJ Matt Everitt about which one song from each of The Cure’s albums he thought would fit with the new release.
As well as revealing which songs he’s most proud of – notably the title track from the ‘Faith’ album, ‘Disintegration’’s ‘Untitled’ and ‘Wish’’s ‘To Wish Impossible Things’ – Smith also went on to recall which release he doesn’t look back on so fondly.
Naming ‘Before Three’ as his favourite song from 2004’s self-titled record, he recalled how he isn’t a fan of the album as a whole.
“’The Cure’ album is probably my least favourite album that we’ve made,” he said. “I don’t like some of it, it’s the only album that I don’t think works. ‘Before Three’ is a good song, that would probably work.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he also explained that he had a similar outlook on the song ‘The Last Day Of Summer’, taken from ‘Bloodflowers’, but ultimately changed his opinion. “That’s become a favourite. I was never quite sure about it as a song, but I think it is a good song,” he recalled.
Other tracks listed as aligning with the sound of ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ included the title track from ‘Three Imaginary Boys’, as well as ‘Seventeen Seconds’ track ‘At Night’. Find the full list below.
The songs chosen by Robert Smith during the interview were:
‘Three Imaginary Boys’ (from ‘Three Imaginary Boys’)
‘At Night’ (from ‘Seventeen Seconds’)
‘Faith’ (from ‘Faith’)
‘Cold’ (from ‘Pornography’)
‘The Top’ (from ‘The Top’)
‘Sinking’ (from ‘The Head on the Door’)
‘If Only Tonight We Could Sleep’ (from ‘Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me’)
‘Untitled’ (‘Disintegration’)
‘To Wish Impossible Things’ (from ‘Wish’)
‘Treasure’ (from ‘Wild Mood Swings’)
‘Last Day of Summer’ (from ‘Bloodflowers’)
‘Before Three’ (from ‘The Cure’)
‘The Hungry Ghost’ (from ‘4:13 Dream’)
In a five-star review of ‘Songs Of A Lost World’, NME wrote: “Merciless? Yes, but there’s always enough heart in the darkness and opulence in the sound to hold you and place these songs alongside The Cure’s finest.
“The frontman suggested that another two records may be arriving at some point, but ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ feels sufficient enough for the wait we’ve endured, just for being arguably the most personal album of Smith’s career. Mortality may loom, but there’s colour in the black and flowers on the grave.”
Elsewhere in the lengthy interview with Everitt, Smith also revealed that the band have another new album in the works which is “virtually finished”, as well as a third record in the pipeline too. He then surprised fans by sharing his plans for a world tour in 2025, as well as speaking about the band’s upcoming 50th anniversary.
As well as that, Smith said he thought the group would part ways after their headline performance at Hyde Park in 2018, and called dynamic ticket pricing a “scam” that’s “driven by greed”.
One of the more poignant sections of the interview came as the frontman explained the profound coincidence and death behind the cover artwork for ‘Songs Of A Lost World’. This coincided with the singer opening up about how he penned the track ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye’ about his brother’s passing.
What’s more, he also shed light on his relationship with football, revealing that having a curry with the late England and Queens Park Rangers forward Stan Bowles was “the highlight of [his] life”.
The Cure are set to play a special intimate show at the BBC Radio Theatre in London on October 30 ahead of another small gig at the Troxy in the capital on November 1. Fans will be able to watch the latter date via a free global livestream.
