The world is falling apart. Its insane. Its greed, inequality, monetisation. Robert Smith on the gloomy, reflective themes at the dark heart of The Cure’s new album Songs of a Lost World [Video]

The Cure will release Songs of a Lost World, their first new album in 16 years, on November 1 via Fiction/Polydor. And in a new [paywalled] interview with The Times, frontman Robert Smith forewarns fans that it is rather bleak, reflective, and sorrow-tinged work.

The album’s first single, Alone, dealt with the destruction of planet earth, while themes of death, loneliness, grief, pain and loss run throughout the remaining seven songs, perhaps unsurprisingly since Smith has lost both his parents, his brother, Richard and all his aunts and uncles during the years separating the new record from 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

“Our songs always had a fear of mortality,” Smith tells The Times. “I don’t feel my age at all but I’m aware of it and when you get older that fear becomes more real. Death becomes more everyday. When you are younger you romanticise death, but then it happens to your family and friends. I …