The Cure Release Chilling ‘A Fragile Thing’ Single and ‘Songs of a Lost World’ Track List

The countdown to the Cure‘s return is just a few weeks away and on Wednesday (Oct. 9) the Robert Smith-led group pulled back the black curtain a bit more on their anticipated Songs of a Lost World album by revealing the track list and latest single, “A Fragile Thing.”

The swirling, midtempo rocker is classic Cure, with a morose, nearly minute-long instrumental intro that sets up a most on-brand tale of devastating love. “Every time you kiss me/ I could cry she said/ Don’t tell me how you miss me/ I could die tonight of a broken heart/ This loneliness has changed me/ We have been too far apart,” Smith sings.

In a clip from an upcoming interview about the band’s 14th studio album — its first since 2008’s 4:13 Dream — Smith talked about the inspiration behind the latest taste of the long-awaited LP. “It’s the ‘love song’ of the album, but it’s not really a love song in the way that [1989’s] ‘Lovesong’ is a love song,” he said. “It’s about love and how love is the most enduring of emotions, I think. It’s the most powerful emotion, and it’s incredibly resilient. And yet at the same time, incredibly fragile.”

Realizing that that sentiment sounds like a paradox, Smith added, “I know, and doesn’t really make much sense. But I think you know what I mean. You feel sometimes you’re in danger of destroying something, and yet you kind of know that it can’t be destroyed.” Smith also noted that he struggled to write the song, which was originally titled “Kill the Sun,” before it drastically changed into a final form that admittedly might be a bit too specific to his brand of heartache.

“But I’m hoping that it resonates with other people because it’s a universal thing,” Smith said.

The eight-song album will feature the previously released single “Alone,” as well as “A Fragile Thing,” three tracks the band debuted live on their 2022-2023 tour, “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” and the recently teased “Endsong,” and three no one has heard yet: “Warsong,” “Drone:NoDrone,” and “All I Ever Am.”

The band recently announced two intimate pre-release shows in the UK slated to take place on Oct. 30 and 31. Songs of aLost World is due out on Nov. 1.

Watch the “A Fragile Thing” lyric video and Smith’s interview snippet below.