LISTEN: The Cure Teases Fans With Snippet of First New Music in 16 Years

With hits like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Just Like Heaven,” The Cure gained a devoted following that has stood the test of time. Earlier this month, that following rejoiced as the British post-punk icons began dropping digital hints that pointed to new music for the first time in 16 years. Now, we have some idea of what that musical comeback will sound like. The band recently previewed a new song, “Alone,” on social media.

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Listen To New Song From The Cure

Days ago, The Cure launched a secret website and WhatsApp channel to promote their upcoming album, Songs of a New World. On Friday (Sept. 20), fans who signed up for the WhatsApp channel received a message: “Want to hear ‘Alone’?”

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Fans had the option to click “yes” or “no” (although “yes” is really the only answer.) Selecting the former delivered a 12-second clip of the unreleased track, with the chance to “discover more at songsofalost.world.”

The band also shared the clip to its X/Twitter page. And the sound is classic Cure—melancholy, ethereal, slowly building toward a dramatic climax. This is the end of every song we sing, frontman Robert Smith croons forlornly.

Earlier this month, fans who signed up for The Cure’s mailing list began receiving postcards featuring the album’s title and Roman numerals spelling out “Nov. 1,” the presumed release date.

Then, on Sept. 12, a poster featuring the album’s title appeared at The Railway Inn, the West Sussex pub where The Cure played their first-ever gig in 1978.

Songs of a Lost World is the band’s first new album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

“Could This Truly Be the End?”

In their nearly five decades of existence, The Cure have released 13 studio albums. And the rollout of their 14th has some fans thinking this may be farewell for the alt-rock legends.

On Thursday (Sept. 19), the band released a promotional video for Songs of a Lost World on social media. The caption contained the coordinates for the Blackpool Tower in Lancashire, England—Robert Smith’s birthplace.

“Ahhhhhh Blackpool means back to the roots,” one Instagram user wrote. “Crawley too… This tastes of thanks and goodbye at the same time .”

Another user wrote, “This has actually made me cry. That the band chose Robert’s birthplace to promote this album. It feels like his life is now coming full circle. Could this truly be the end?”

Featured image by Michele Eve Sandberg/Shutterstock