The wait is over, almost. After months of teasing their recorded return, The Cure confirmed on Monday morning (Sept. 23) that their first new single in 16 years will drop on Thursda (Sept. 26). The band offered an 18-second preview of the song “Alone,” on which singer Robert Smith sings, “This is the end of every song that we sing/ The fire burned out to ash, the stars grow dim with tears,” over the long-running mope rock group’s signature slow-march drums and gothic drone.
The track will premiere on Mary Anne Hobb’s BBC Radio 6 music show in the UK at noon (7 a.m. ET) on Thursday. The news finally kicked-off what fans anticipate will be the proper roll-out of the long-awaited follow-up to the Cure’s most recent album, 2008’s 4:13 Dream, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 album chart upon release.
Last week, Cure fans’ hopes were raised when some received cryptic postcards that appeared to confirm that the album will be called, as long rumored, Songs of a Lost World, and that it will drop on Nov. 1. In the lead-up to the new album’s release, the Cure released a special double A-side vinyl featuring live versions of two new songs, “And Nothing Is Forever” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” which were recorded during their 2022 Shows of a Lost World tour. It was unknown at press time if those two tracks will appear on the upcoming album.
Listen to the preview of “Alone” below.