People often forget this album, and I don’t know why. Possibly it’s the ubiquity of curated playlists, or the attention span of the 21st century- so many people don’t have time to listen to whole albums anymore. It’s a masterpiece, either way. The eighth studio album saw the band losing Lol Tolhurst and Robert Smith getting into magic mushrooms again, and this is possibly why it’s so magical and psychedelic.
There is still the same special patented Smith melancholy (‘Lovesong’, ‘Plainsong’, ‘The Same Deep Water As You’) but a new found confidence too. The songwriting feels more intimate, introspective and emotionally aware. The band could have clung to their more commercial, playful pop side, but went a little further down the rabbit hole instead. That’s not to say it’s unlistenable- far from it. It has a majestic sheen. The synths sound polished and there are strings and dreamy textures from the and and co-producer David M Allen.
Even hit single ‘Lullaby’ with its phantasmagoria of being eaten by giant spiders has a cute pizzicato section which offsets the ghoulish subject matter. The Cure at their best have always been magical, and so it is with this album. It’s no coincidence their latest album harkens back to this shimmering, light and shade era.
Hit The North 
Ah the magic mushrooms! Didn’t know that. Will listen to it differently next time. Yeah what a follow up to Kiss Me…and a way to end the decade. When I saw them tour this record they played this album in its entirety in a series of three at a time, broken up by older tunes. Sadly though I did not “get” the album at that point; I found the pieces too long and lumbering. But that shimmery opening to Plainsong, will try to remember how magical that was live. Thanks for chronicling the latest record too: I enjoyed that too end to end on a flight from the east coast recently. They hit a new peak with this late 80s period and glad they went back for a final look, updated for the times.
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Yeah, definitely a reminder of their transcendent beauty in the new album. I’ve never seen them live, would love to.
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