The Cure Know That Love Is ‘A Fragile Thing’ on New Song

The Cure have shared another new song, “A Fragile Thing,” from their upcoming album, Songs of a Lost World, out Nov. 1.

“A Fragile Thing” is a romantically fraught plea anchored by a brooding bass line and filled with yearning guitar riffs and synth lines. “‘And there’s nothing you can do to change it back,’ she said,” Robert Smith croons. “‘Nothing you can do but sing, this love is a fragile thing.’”

In a statement, Smith said “A Fragile Thing” was “driven by the difficulties we face in choosing between mutually exclusive needs and how we deal with the futile regret that can follow these choices, however sure we are that the right choices have been made… it can often be very hard to be the person that you really need to be.”

Like many of the songs expected to appear on Songs of a Lost World, the Cure have been playing “A Fragile Thing” live for a couple of years now, first debuting the track back in November 2022. The long-awaited studio version marks the second song the band has shared from Songs of a Lost World, following lead single (and opening track), “Alone,” which dropped last month. 

Songs of a Lost World marks the Cure’s 14th studio album and first in 16 years, following 2008’s 4:13 Dream. Smith wrote and arranged the album, as well as produced and mixed it with Paul Corkett. It was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales. 

Smith has been working on Songs of a Lost World for at least the past half-decade. In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, he shared a progress report, saying, “The other thing is we only did my demos, and the band has some songs they gave me to listen to, to turn into songs that I didn’t get around to. So I feel like we should probably explore them for a few days, as well, in the studio now that we’re playing again together just to see if something emerges,” Smith said. “I do want it to work in a way those really good Cure albums — my favorite Cure albums — work as pieces. I want people to listen to it from beginning to end and be taken somewhere through that period.”