During a recent Sunday evening, The Cure was gathered to prepare for promotional gigs supporting Songs of a Lost World, their first studio album in 16 years, which was recently released. Seated beside his guitar rig was Robert Smith, the band frontman and speaking with Irish Times, he explained his reluctance in recent years to do an interview. “I don’t really want my head to be drawn back into this idea that I’m ‘Robert Smith of The Cure’,” he said, raising a blue-shadowed brow. “It just doesn’t suit me any more.”
At 65 years old, Robert Smith of The Cure remains unmistakable, dressed entirely in black with a smear of lipstick and his signature tangled mop of dark hair, which has now turned a shade of ash. During The Cure’s commercial peak in the 1980s and 1990s, he was a dandy prince of the alternative scene. His disheveled hairstyle not only created a distinctive look but also inspired an entire indie-kid personality type—the lovesick goth.
The band charted a course through melancholic angst with songs like “Boys Don’t Cry,” produced danceable hits such as “Just Like Heaven,” and explored expansive, moody neo-psychedelia with tracks like “Pictures of You.” This musical journey established The Cure as a model for generations of artists to come.
A sense of a broader breakdown seems to linger behind nearly every track. An earlier version of “Warsong,” which explores a relationship fraught with conflict, addressed the world’s endless cycles of war more directly. However, Smith aimed to avoid making the songs overtly political, as he felt that would make him an easy target for criticism.
“I wear lipstick, I’m 65,” he said. “I’m not the person to stand up to say what’s wrong with the world.”
