We had an inkling that Songs Of A Lost World could be worth the wait via the band’s live show previews, but for me, what amounts to a career-best Cure album really has exceeded all expectations. And it seems I’m not the only one who’s been knocked out by the return of Robert Smith and co. The band’s 14th studio LP shot to No.1 in the UK, outselling the rest of the Top Five combined.
My favourite album of 2024, its emotive meditation on life, death and the fears we all experience in our later years is a remarkable piece of work.
Coincidently, a second long-awaited effort, The The’s Ensoulment, was my runner-up new release. I’ll overlook Matt Johnson’s periodic lapses into conspiracy theories and anti-vax cobblers and instead celebrate what amounted to a brooding mid-tempo masterpiece. The LP’s Tinder-referencing Zen & The Art Of Dating may have betrayed the long gestation period of the album but elsewhere this was a confidently timeless affair.