The Cure’s Robert Smith has revealed he doesn’t “stream music on principle” – see what he had to say below.
During a new interview on the Hijacked Podcast with Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw, in which he celebrated the release of the band’s latest album, “Songs Of A Lost World,” Smith discussed his listening habits, revealing that he’s not a fan of streaming.
While he doesn’t go into detail about why he “doesn’t stream music on principle and never will,” it likely parallels his long-standing issues with ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster.
Instead, besides vinyl, Smith listens to music through a collection of “loads and loads” of iPods he owns. He explained to Mac and Grimshaw: “I have playlists, iPods. I have lots and lots of different iPods with stickers on them so I know in the dark which one will play which. So they all have stuff on them that matches my mood. There’s so much music that I have – not in a nostalgic way, but things that I can’t just move to but that also mean something to me, that remind me of a lot of times and people.
Clearly not a fan of streaming, Smith added that it would be “misleading” to claim it was tapped into the year’s pop phenomena – Charli XCX’s summer “Brat” and Chappell’s debut LP Roan “The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess.”
Smith said the records weren’t aimed at him and that “it would be a little weird if I said ‘yeah, that’s my favorite thing.’ ” He then added: “I think what they do as artists is really fantastic but I think it would probably be dishonest to say that’s what I listen to at home. »
Earlier this month he spoke to Radio-X presenter John Kennedy as part of a special track-by-track reading of “Songs Of A Lost World” and explained both how quitting smoking helped him preserve his voice and how the band is already sitting on a lot of new material.
For example, Smith not only revealed that the band had “written a really catchy pop song” that they were planning to release as a Christmas single, but he also added that they were well on their way with plans for two more albums. – one of which is planned for release in 2017. to be a “companion track” to “Songs Of A Lost World”, while the third takes a different approach.
This wasn’t the first time Smith had hinted at new material either, as in 2020 he told ZikNation that The Cure were hard at work on “two new albums and an hour of noise.”
“Songs Of A Lost World” received a five-star review from ZikNationwho said: “Ruthless? Yes, but there’s still enough heart in the darkness and opulence in the sound to hold you back and place these songs alongside The Cure’s best.
It was also included in ZikNation’list of the best albums of the year, while the first single “Alone” appeared in ZikNationThe best songs of 2024. “‘Alone’ ended a 16-year drought and proved that The Cure had lost none of their magic. Through swirling synths and cinematic instrumentation, coupled with Robert Smith’s poignant lyricism and melodies, this epic is a masterpiece of ethereal beauty and raw emotional depth,” read the latter. “One of their most captivating songs to date. »
The band have since released new EP ‘A Fragile Thing’ featuring a live version and remix by Robert Smith, before sharing a new live album from their special launch concert in London.
