The Cure’s Robert Smith Has Made the Ultimate Playlist for The Band’s Upcoming Album

No one can make existential angst quite as catchy as The Cure. Forming in 1976, lead singer Robert Smith and company brought gothic rock into the mainstream. Nearly 50 years later, the British post-punk outfit is gearing up to release their 14th studio album. Songs of a Lost World, the band’s first new music since 2008, drops Nov. 1. Ahead of its release, Smith has “cure-rated” a list of 13 songs—one from each album—that reflect the mood for Songs of a Lost World. The “Pictures of You” singer, 65, shared that list during an all-encompassing interview with BBC 6Music presenter Matt Everitt. Here are five examples.

1. “Three Imaginary Boys,” Three Imaginary Boys, 1979

The title track from The Cure’s 1979 debut “still resonates with me,” Smith told Everitt.

2. “At Night,” Seventeen Seconds, 1980

With lyrics like, I hear the darkness breathe / I sense the quiet despair / Listen to the silence, “At Night” “would fit quite happily on this album, I think,” Smith said.

3. “Faith,” Faith, 1981

The first song that Robert Smith was ” really, really proud of.” “I could’ve given up after I wrote Faith,” said the Cure frontman.

[RELATED: Robert Smith of the Cure Plans to “Retire” in 2029]

4. “Sinking,” The Head on the Door, 1985

The Cure branched out on their sixth studio album, allowing the goth-rock icons to reach a wider audience. One Reddit user suggests a dark room lit only by fairy lights for the ultimate “Sinking” listening experience. And honestly, we can’t think of a better way to listen to The Cure.

“Again, a bit of doom and gloom,” Smith said, adding, “But the whole album’s a bit more bright and breezy than this that we’ve done.”

5. “Before Three,” The Cure, 2004

Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield described the Cure’s self-titled 12th album as “a perfect dream,” with “Before Three” standing out as a highlight. Smith is more blunt.

“The Cure album is probably my least favourite album that we’ve made,” he told Everitt. “I don’t like some of it. It’s the only album that I don’t think works.”

Still, he acknowledges, “‘Before Three’ is a good song, that would probably work.”

What Are Some of Robert Smith’s Favorite Songs From The Cure?

In the interview, Smith listed “Untitled,” off The Cure’s 1989 album Disintegration, among his favorite songs. “I like that I didn’t title it,” he said cheekily.

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