On November 1st, The Cure finally released their first album in 16 years. Lost World Songs. The iconic gothic rock band’s fourteenth album has been teased for years but has been delayed due to a number of factors. Fans are already singing the album’s praises. Many described it as a beautiful portrayal of the experience of loss with noticeably heavier, shoehorned elements that are still largely therapeutic at their best. According to frontman Robert Smith, his wife Mary Paul Smith was an important factor in completing the album.
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Robert Smith was candid about how his wife helped finish the long-awaited record.
How Mary Paul Smith helped complete Songs of the Lost World
“I was ending the doom and gloom… and [Mary Poole Smith] Smith said: “He said no, no, no, your best albums are the ones with a few more upbeat songs.” In the interview with Hugh Stephens. She was right. I wanted to finish everything because I thought that was fair to all the songs, like they’re all little kids. I don’t want to pick favorites.”
Robert Smith and Mary Paul Smith met when they were fourteen years old in drama class. The couple married in 1988, and a lot of music has been written about them. Specifically, the classic song “Lovesong” was written in 1989 as a wedding gift for Mary. They have been married for almost 37 years and enjoy a child-free life together in England.
“Mary means inexplicably a lot to me,” Smith once said of Mary. “In fact, I don’t think she ever realized how much I depended on her during all these years we spent together.”
Prior to the album’s release, The Cure played two concerts at the BBC Radio Theater. The band then performed a full Lost World Songs at London’s Troxy on November 1.
Smith noted a few years ago while the album was still in production that the record would explore “experiencing the dark side of life.” For context, Smith’s mother, father and brother died before the album was completed.
This latest release won’t be The Cure’s last either. Smith has said he doesn’t plan to retire until he’s in his 70s. He also revealed that The Cure has two more albums on the way. One of these records is “almost finished” according to Smith.
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
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