Songs of a Lost World

I love the cure

It's good, but it's not very special or great. Obviously a return to their early 80s form, with songs like A Fragile Thing and Endsong being the ones to look out for.

Songs Of A Lost World feels like a trek through an endless odyssey through a winter landscape, with the entire album employing a dream-like sound, with shoegazy and ethereal elements. It fits it: at the same time it sounds like a homage to the young Cure, but also very in tune with the surrounding musical landscape. In short: one for the old and new heads around.

A lot of bottled emotion went into this album, and while I'm not glad that someone has to suffer in order to make an album like this, I'm glad that the pain of losing a loved one was used to create a good album, at least.

Songs of a Lost World by The Cure must be one of the newest entries in this challenge, and what an album it is! I've always loved The Cure, and I remember being incredibly excited when this was announced. I listened to it as soon as it came out, and it absolutely blew me away.

I genuinely think this is a modern classic. In fact, looking back over the last two years, I can't think of another album I'd give a 5/5 to. That's how good I think this record is.

There's something incredibly moving about this album. It's dark, atmospheric and melancholic, but also full of beautiful melodies and fantastic musicianship. Robert Smith's voice is as distinctive and emotional as ever, and the songwriting is simply brilliant. It's remarkable that a band that's been around for so long can still produce music of this quality.

"Endsong" is an absolutely stunning piece of music. What a track! It's emotional, powerful and beautifully constructed, building into something quite extraordinary. One of those songs that really stays with you long after it's finished.

"Alone" is another masterpiece and such a brilliant way to open the album, while "A Fragile Thing" is simply gorgeous. There isn't a weak moment on this record, and despite the longer tracks, nothing feels unnecessary. This is an album that deserves to be listened to from beginning to end.

I honestly can't praise *Songs of a Lost World* enough. It's everything I love about The Cure, and to release something this good so late in their career is an incredible achievement. I loved it when it first came out, I love it just as much today, and I suspect I'll still be listening to it for many years to come.

A modern classic and an easy 5/5.

Favourite tracks: "Alone", "A Fragile Thing" and "Endsong". Three absolutely outstanding pieces of music. "Endsong" in particular is something special.

Least favourite track: Absolutely nothing. There isn't a single skippable track on this album. You really need to listen to the whole thing to appreciate just how good it is.

Album artwork: Brilliant. Such a striking and memorable cover. It's one of those album covers you see once and never forget.

What a return for the fellas. Belts hard. Surely we could have added something from a more contemporary band rather than a 4th Cure album.

A good listen from The Cure as always. A lil whiny but oh well

Favorite track(s): Alone, And Nothing Is Forever, A Fragile Thing, Warsong, Endsong

You did it. You crazy sons of bitches, you did it.

I really love their older stuff but I never got around to listening to this one when it came out. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that it's in fact very good. Usually when a band releases an album after such a long gap it feels like a cash grab but this genuinely feels like another great Cure album. I love the amount of time it spends instrumentally and the really effective mix of light and dark.

The Cure stond al drie keer in de lijst met hun albums uit de jaren '80. Als je vervolgens een nieuwe notering toevoegt uit 2024, dan zou die nieuwe notering logischerwijs het volwassen geluid van zo'n band moeten laten horen. Eén probleem in het geval van The Cure: zij hadden in die jaren '80 al dat volwassen geluid. Goed, het kan iets gelikter met de techniek van de huidige tijd en daarvoor heeft de band niet de kop in het zand gestoken. Maar daar heb je de vernieuwing wel mee te pakken. Als ik het nieuwe album kort moet beschrijven, dan kom ik dus ook eigenlijk op dezelfde teksten als ik bij de oude albums schreef. Ik heb veel moeite met de saaie zang, maar het valt perfect samen met de muziek en het zorgt voor een eigen sfeer. 3,5 ster

It's amazing (and we're fortunate) that The Cure is still cranking out amazing music after all these years. Favorite track: Warsong

They still got it. Robert Smith’s voice and style of songwriting have aged exceptionally well. I liked the use of heaviness in the latter half. Not sure it starts great but it really picks up its stride. All I Ever Am and Endsong are an incredible way to end the album. Favorites were Warsong, Drone:nodrone, All I Ever Am, and Endsong.

Great album - pretty much on par with Disentegration.
Since I heard the last record I also got to experience them live and I was so impressed by how good they sound.

The Cure find consistency for the first time since 1989's Disintegration! A good return to form for the band, their best album since Wish.

To me, Songs From a Lost World had a lot more drama than other records by The Cure, lots of heartfelt strings, crunchy riffs, deep and longing synths, and they all exist to amp up the emotional factor. The second song And Nothing Is Forever has always been a bit off-putting for me because the strings seem a bit too overbearing, although I did enjoy the song this time around.

There's an almost post-rock sound to this album, with a greater focus on creating soundscapes for Smith to wail over rather elongated pop tunes. That's not to say that the album isn't poppy, it is, but The Cure seem to have taken a cinematic approach to the album. There's ups and downs to this, Endsong is a brilliant example of how to do it, the intro that takes up over half of the song let's your mind soar. I guess the band has always had this attribute, but it feels a lot more forceful here.

Musically the foreboding and spacey sound makes me think of ageing, something that seems to be corroborated by the lyrics. The soundscapes give a feeling of eternity (or lack of it), and I'm impressed that the band manage to make me think of my own mortality just from the music alone.

Also Robert's voice still sounds great!

Was it a good addition to the list: Yes and no. It is one of the best albums to come out since the release of the last book (The Cure are my favorite band so I'm a little biased in that regard), but if we're adding a FOURTH Cure album, it either has to be The Head on the Door, Kiss Me, or Wish, one of the albums that show off the poppier side of the band. Ultimately I wouldn't have added it.

Top 3 songs: Alone, All I Ever Am, Endsong

I’m at a 10.

“Disintegration” was Robert Smith saying “I love you” to a world refusing to say it back. “Songs of a Lost World” is Robert Smith mourning the fact that that world is gone. His parents & his brother all died, and that grief pours itself out here in cynical ways, at least lyrically. “Alone” is about the world he knew passing him by without realizing it. “And Nothing Is Forever” feels like visiting someone on their death bed, or being on it yourself. “A Fragile Thing” recontextualizes old flames & deeply impactful memories of love as fragile things, never to be rekindled lest they shatter in permanent ways. “Warsong” feels like what happens when two stubborn people deeply in love (or in general) simply can’t take it anymore.

“Drone:Nodrone” is about coping with the reality that you lose more control of your world the longer you’re in it, inspired by a drone invading his privacy. “I Can Never Say Goodbye” is the ode to his brother; portraying nature itself as distraught & practically crying while Robert’s in pain, as the reality of it all is closing in on him, makes for really impactful imagery. “All I Ever Am” is about the fear of finding you’re not as complete of a person as you think you are despite years & years of experiences that should be the sum of everyone you’ve met. “Endsong” is a remarkable perspective on survivor’s guilt, letting his pain fully pour out in a way that hit incredibly close to home for me. I suspect it’s how some of the oldest people in my life felt before they passed, and hearing it from a man who’s only in his 60s really, really got to me. Robert's vocals, which are fantastic throughout the album, truly shine on that one.

The instrumentation on this is unbelievably impactful. This sounds like The Cure, exactly as they did on “Disintegration”, tastefully updating it while adding in an occasional flavor of nu-metal energy into the mix. There are times here where the drums reminded me distinctly of Linkin Park, but overall, I’d say there’s a tender tone that underlines it all. It’s mostly in the strings & piano; both contrast the punch of the gated reverb drums & the heavier guitars really nicely. This feels like Baroque shoegaze at times, and those moments felt like the prettiest sounding shoegaze I think I’ve ever heard. As they relate to the tracks, the wounds he’s singing about aren’t fresh, but it seems very easy to pick the scab off of them & open them all over again. The soundscapes feel like they’re constantly on the verge of picking that scab, but it never does. The intros are longer, mirroring “Disintegration” & its penchant for longer outros. These tracks set tones instead of forcing you to simmer and reflect at the end of them. It’s an interesting switch, but one that I’d say works well. It did leave me a little antsy at times, especially on the last track, but the payoff was always worth it.

Overall, I’m just left stunned. I haven’t really felt this much perspective from an album since Leonard Cohen’s “You Want It Darker”, which they took out of the 2026 edition of the list. I think the two would work in remarkable parallel to each other, with one reflecting at the very end, and one reflecting on what seems to be the beginning of that end, at least in Robert’s mind. I really hope The Cure don’t slow down after this one. They’ve clearly still got it. It may only be 2 years old, but I think this absolutely earns a spot on the list, & I think it’s a 10. It's a fantastic pick.

Ok

Man, I am honestly floored by this. How does a band forty years in drop a late-era masterpiece that actually holds its own against Disintegration? Robert Smith’s voice sounds timeless, and the whole record is just packed with this heavy, gothic atmosphere about getting older and dealing with grief. The song structures are massive and cinematic, and even though the long, moody intros might be a bit much for some people, I thought the whole thing was a total triumph.

Score one for Olivia Rodrigo elevating these plucky upstarts...

Fascination Old People's Home. Will forever admire RES for his honesty and boyishness and there's something so sad here. Ageing is as disturbing as death.

Fantastic!

Non of their joyous pop, this is pure despair in the style of Disintegration (if not exactly that level, but nothing is): sprawling densely layered waves of synth and aching guitar driven by a dramatic bass pulse and drums that thunder and echo. The Cure are the best at summoning exactly this gloomy romance, at wallowing in dreary dread, melting into misery until it turns into a kind of bliss.

3.75 Impressive after so many years. Very few tracks dipped in quality.

2.88