After The Cure's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday Robert Smith was interviewed by Rolling Stone and discussed the band's forthcoming new album, tour plans, and legacy.
Smith revealed that contrary to earlier reports the new record isn't quite finished yet, but hopes to have it mixed this summer and out sometime before the end of the year. He described the record as dark and intense, with epic-length songs:
"It's so dark. It's incredibly intense. And I've waited 10 years to do something that means something...the songs are like 10 minutes, 12 minutes long. We recorded 19 songs...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."
The Cure have already announced a string of gigs in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the seminal album Disintegration. Smith confirmed there are plans for doing a few shows in the U.S. (New York and Los Angeles) near the end of the year:
"We're holding home theatres 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."
As for The Cure's staying power:
"I know Radiohead talked about integrity and authenticity and stuff. It's kind of like an unspoken thing with us. We don't bang on about it. But that's why we retain so many fans, I think. Because they know we're not pretending what we do."
Read the full interview with Rolling Stone here.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony premieres on HBO April 27th. If you just can't wait, stream Trent Reznor's induction speech, The Cure's acceptance speech, and their five song performance below.
Published March 31st, 2019