Robert Smith Suggests New Cure Album Will be a “Doom & Gloom” Record for Halloween Release

“I think it will delight our hardcore fans. And probably really, really infuriate everyone else. At my age, I’m still doom and gloom.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone shortly after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last night, Cure Frontman Robert Smith clarified and elaborated on plans for the highly anticipated 14th Studio album release (If you don’t count the unreleased follow-up to the band’s last album 4:13 Dream).

On the album’s recording Smith said:

“Because it’s the anniversary of Disintegration, I was thinking about how we did that, and how we turned that into something and what my mindset was. A key part of it was everyone being away from home, being away from everything they loved and being in one place at the same time. So for the first time in 20 years, we went into a studio — we actually went into the studio where they did “Bohemian Rhapsody,” funnily enough. It’s a great studio in the middle of nowhere. We just played music for three weeks. And it’s great. I know everyone says that. But it really is fucking great.

It’s so dark. It’s incredibly intense. And I’ve waited 10 years to do something that means something. It’s going to work really well. I’m not sure how much of it we’ll play this summer at festivals. It’s not really festival music. The songs are like 10 minutes, 12 minutes long. We recorded 19 songs. So I have no idea what to do now. The others are saying, “Triple album!” I’m saying, no let’s not. I’ll pick six or maybe eight songs and do like a single album. But I think it will delight our hardcore fans. And probably really, really infuriate everyone else. At my age, I’m still doom and gloom.”

Smith then elaborated on the album’s completion status and possible release date with a bit of tongue in cheek humor in relation to the tone of the record:

“We’ll finish it before we start in the summer, and it’ll be mixed through the summer. And then so release date, I don’t know, October? Halloween! Come on!”

The record seems destined to appeal to The Cure’s Goth fan contingent, a label which Robert Smith never completely identified with, although having much love for, as he told Time Out last summer:

“We got stuck with it at a certain time when goths first started. I was playing guitar with Siouxsie And The Banshees, so I had to play the part. Goth was like pantomime to me. I never really took the whole culture thing seriously.”

Smith then went onto elaborate on his use of makeup,  stating that although it is perceived as Goth, “It’s just a theatrical thing, ” and that “it’s part of the ritual of going on stage. Also there is the prosaic reason: I have ill-defined features and naturally pale skin.”

Smith then finished the Time Out interview joking that “one day my hair will all fall out and I won’t look gothic any more. So just wait for that.”

Back to the Rolling Stone piece, Smith also  elaborated on his red carpet comment about Disintegration Anniversary Shows will mirror the “Reflections” concerts in Los Angeles and New York back in 2011, except this time bigger

“It’s inevitable, I think. When we did the last festival, I said, “this is it.” But once we’ve rehearsed it, I know it’s going to be really good. We’re holding home theaters in New York and Los Angeles. But I kind of feel like we should do it in a bigger venue. I’d like to a big show with it, really. It’s a bigger album. I think when we did the first three albums we did three nights at the Beacon in New York. It was much more punky. We were trying to recreate that vibe. But I think Disintegration is just big. So we need to do somewhere that’s just big. But probably about Christmas time we’ll come back.”

So after this interview, we think it is safe to say there will be no US tour until late Autumn, or 2020. Though we should be hearing new songs during live sets by October.