Until Sept. 26, The Cure had not released new music in 16 years. Yet somehow, their new single “Alone,” which will headline their new album releasing in November, is spectacularly similar to the music they released in their prime during the ‘80s and ‘90s.
When I heard that they would be releasing a new song, I was instantly dreading that it would become another attempted, and consequently failed, comeback from a band in their older ages. I was mainly worried that it would sound like The Cure — an imitation of their old music. However, within just seconds of my first listen, I realized that all of these fears were, thankfully, completely invalidated. The song begins with a three-minute instrumental introduction that is reminiscent of some of their most popular ‘epic’ songs, such as “A Forest” and “Pictures of You.” The long intro instantly had me immersed in the song as it could have been a brilliant track on its own. It evolves, builds up and down and is unmistakably The Cure.
While the intro was beautifully grand, I was eagerly waiting to hear what Robert Smith’s voice sounded like at this point in his life. I had seen some recent concert videos in which his voice sounded just like it did during the band’s height, but I was still skeptical because, after all, it has been about forty years. As the intro came to a close, Smith came in and absolutely shocked me. His vocals are practically indistinguishable from The Cure’s early albums. If someone had me listen to “Alone” and told me that it was one of the band’s songs from the ‘80s, I wouldn’t think twice about it. His voice is still as full of passion and youth as it was many decades ago, and as amazing as the instrumental elements are on this song, Smith’s voice is what makes this song so monumental.
Over the past week since the track was released, I have had it on repeat, and each time I hear it, I am just as shocked as before at how well this song fits into the rest of The Cure’s discography. The band doesn’t sound like they are trying to replicate their classic sound and style in the slightest. I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the track, but I am left feeling grateful that I get to be alive and aware of one of my favorite bands releasing truly spectacular music. Now, all I can do is impatiently wait for November to come around.
