The Cure’s Robert Smith has revealed that he has “written a really catchy pop song” that he could release as a Christmas single.
READ MORE: The Cure – ‘Songs Of A Lost World’: a masterful reflection on loss
The legendary frontman opened up about new material with Radio X host John Kennedy earlier this week as he took part in a special track-by-track playback of the ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ album.
As he discussed the record’s content, song by song, Smith opened up about how he found inspiration for the tracklist. This included recalling the encouragement he had from his brother during the early days of his career, as well as his complex relationship with mortality.
While he went on to reveal that, above all else, he wants to provoke an “emotional response” in his listeners, he did explain that he is sitting on some new material that has a much more upbeat feel.
Smith described one currently unreleased track in particular as a “really catchy” pop song that could work as a festive release going forward. “I always just want an emotional response from what I write… Unless I think. ‘This is a catchy idea’, but those days have kind of gone a little bit,” he said.
“Although I have written a really catchy pop song! I’m struggling to figure out how I’m gonna release it. Having been up in town all day, the amount of times I’ve heard [Wham!‘s] ‘Last Christmas’. I think I just need to stick some Christmas words on it and get it out there!”
Robert Smith of The Cure performs in 2023 (Photo by Harmony Gerber/Getty Images)
While the details of the track and its possible release date remain unknown for now, Smith’s comments in the interview are far from the first time he has hinted about new music recently.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the singer had shared details of two more Cure albums – one of which is set to be a “companion piece” to ‘Songs Of A Lost World’, while the third takes a different approach.
He elaborated during an interview with Absolute Radio’s Danielle Perry, as part of a special version of Tim Burgess’ Listening Parties, and added that while ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ was their first LP since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’, fans shouldn’t be waiting too long for a follow-up.
“There is another album which is pretty much ready to go. It’s sort of its companion piece. Then there’s a third one which is completely different. It’s really kind of random stuff, like late-night studio stuff. But some of it is really good actually, it’s just very very different,” he said.
It’s been known for a while now that the band have been sitting on more new material since 2008. Back in 2020, for instance, Smith told NME that the band were hard at work on “two new albums and an hour of noise”.
The discussion of new music comes as The Cure recently released the new ‘A Fragile Thing’ EP featuring a live version and a Robert Smith remix, before announcing a new live album of their special London launch gig, which arrives today (December 12).
Held at the Troxy, the show saw the band play ‘Songs Of A Lost In World’ in full before running through a packed set of fan favourites and greatest hits, and seems to be their final gig before they tour in autumn 2025.
Before them, Smith had hinted about the “different” third LP again, saying that he was eager to fully complete at least one of the records before gearing up to hit the road in 2025.
‘Songs Of A Lost World’ saw The Cure bag their first Number One album in the UK in 32 years, with NME awarding it five stars. “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,” it read.
It was also included in NME’s list of Best Albums Of The Year, while lead single ‘Alone’ starred in NME’s Best Songs Of 2024. “‘Alone’ ended a 16-year drought and proved The Cure haven’t lost any of their magic. Through swirling synths and cinematic instrumentation, paired with Robert Smith’s poignant lyricism and melodies, this epic is a masterwork of ethereal beauty and raw emotional depth,” the latter read. “One of their most captivating songs to date.”
The post The Cure’s Robert Smith has “written a really catchy pop song” that could be a Christmas single appeared first on NME.
