NEWS
The Cure‘s Robert Smith has opened up on why the band’s latest album ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ was nearly called ‘Live From The Moon’.
The rock icon appeared as a special guest on Tim Burgess’ Tims Listening Party in which he ran through the band’s acclaimed 14th studio album. Towards the end of the chat, Smith revealed that the working title of the LP was ‘Live From The Moon’ and discussed the importance of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing impacted the album’s recording.
“It was the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, which I was obsessed with as a kid. I wanted to be a footballer but then if I couldn’t do that, I wanted to be an astronaut. I thought it was kind of like ‘Well if I fail at football, I’ll be an astronaut,’ because that’s the way the world looked like it was going. How wrong was I?,” Smith began.
He recounted the day of the moon landing and how he was standing outside with his family and recalled: “I can remember my feeling of utter disbelief and being left alone in the garden looking up. Seeing on the telly, all of the grainy black and white images and stuff, it represented so much, the moon landing.
“It was an incredible event and the sense of the sense of optimism about everything, the possibilities, immense. I used to look up at the sky and think ‘I’m going to go to the moon. I’ve often written that line in different forms, and it represented the desire to just do whatever you wanted. Kind of like ‘Follow your dreams’ but it was real.”
Smith then went on to share that the working title for ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ was ‘Live From The Moon’ and explained how he and the band had recreated 1969 – the year of the landing – in Rockfield Studios in Wales for a month while they were recording the LP back in 2019.
“There was no modern technology allowed in the studio,” Smith explained. “We had all the 1969 stuff, magazines and newspapers and toys and board games, you know, Apollo board game – a fantastic game, particularly with a few pints of Welsh beer in you. For a month, we just created that sort of vibe which was ‘Songs of A Lost World’ because when I left the studio, I realised that that world that we’d created in Rockfield no longer existed and the world that I was celebrating no longer existed.
“Again, the persistence of the world itself, you know, you’re thinking everything is the same but it isn’t. It’s a strange feeling because our time scales are so tiny. Ever since the moon landing I have had a telescope and I love nothing more than spending a few hours just staring into space. It does give you a sense of perspective.”
The ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ singer had previously revealed the working title of the band’s 14th effort back in 2019. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Smith explained: “The working title was ‘Live From the Moon’, because I was enthralled by the 50th anniversary of the Apollo landing in the summer. We had a big moon hanging in the studio and lunar-related stuff lying around. I’ve always been a stargazer.”
In a glowing five-star review of the album – which saw the band bag their first Number One album in the UK in 32 years – NME concluded: “Merciless? Yes, but there’s always enough heart in the darkness and opulence in the sound to hold you and place these songs alongside The Cure’s finest. The frontman suggested that another two records may be arriving at some point, but ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ feels sufficient enough for the wait we’ve endured, just for being arguably the most personal album of Smith’s career. Mortality may loom, but there’s colour in the black and flowers on the grave.”
In other news, earlier this month, The Cure released the new ‘A Fragile Thing’ EP featuring a live version and a Robert Smith remix, before announcing a new live album of their special London launch gig.
The mammoth Troxy show saw the band play ‘Songs Of A Lost In World’ in full before running through a packed set of fan favourites and greatest hits and looks set to be The Cure’s final show before they tour in autumn 2025.
Smith also revealed that the band have another new album that’s “virtually finished” – with a third new record also on the way, and that he’s aiming to complete one of the LPs before hitting the road again in 2025.
“We’ll start up again next year,” said Smith. “Seriously, I have to finish the second album. We were going to play festivals next year, but then I decided that we weren’t going to play anything next summer. The next time we go out on stage will be autumn next year.
“But then we’ll probably be playing quite regularly through until the next anniversary – the 2028 anniversary! It’s looming on the horizon. The 2018 one, I started to think about in late 2016, thinking, ‘I’ve got a year and a half, it’s easy!’ And yet I still didn’t manage to get there in time. Now, I’m starting to think, ‘2028, I must get things in order’; so [that’s] the documentary film and things like that.”
NEWS
Fontaines D.C. members Carlos O’Connell and Tom Coll have been behind the production of the forthcoming second album from French indie outfit Film Noir. To introduce the project, the band has unveiled the paired singles ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ and ‘VEGITA’, which you can listen to below.
The Fontaines D.C. guitarist and drummer worked alongside Film Noir at La Frette Studios just outside Paris. The renowned recording space is also where Arctic Monkeys created their two most recent albums, ‘Tranquillity Base…’ and ‘The Car’.
O’Connell is partnered with Film Noir vocalist Joséphine de La Baume, who is also known for her work as an actor, filmmaker and model. Together, they share two children, with their first child serving as the inspiration for Fontaines’ 2025 track ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’.
Reflecting on the project while announcing his role in the album, O’Connell shared on social media: “In early 2020 I walked into a gig in a club in Paris and was introduced to a band called Film Noir. I fell in love with the singer, I went on to make babies with her to to fall in love twice again with them.
“A little while back myself, [Coll] and @filmnoirmusic went to La Frette and recorded their upcoming record.”
The guitarist continued: “Producing this record was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had. Blessed to have so many. This album means the world to me & I hope it’ll mean something to many more.”
Film Noir have offered an early look at the still untitled album through the release of ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ and ‘VEGITA’. O’Connell handled production duties on both tracks, while Coll contributed drums. O’Connell also took care of mixing on ‘VEGITA’.
Opening with a light acoustic arrangement, ‘VIENS TIENS TOI’ gradually unfolds into a dreamy sound shaped by shoegaze influences. In contrast, ‘VEGITA’ leans into a brighter, surf inspired feel that complements de La Baume’s floating vocal performance.
The group has also released a behind the scenes video capturing moments from the recording sessions for their sophomore album, which can be viewed below. At this stage, no official release date has been announced.
Back in spring 2020, O’Connell collaborated with Film Noir on a rendition of Lee Hazlewood’s ‘For A Day Like Today’ (via LiveForever). When the track arrived, the band described the guitarist as “a great supporter of the European rock scene and a common friend”.
Film Noir first emerged with their debut EP, ‘Vertiges (Men Of Glory)’, in 2019, followed by ‘Tendrement’ a year later. Their first full length album, ‘Palpitant’, arrived in 2022.
Outside of music, Joséphine de La Baume portrayed Marie in the 2011 film adaptation of One Day alongside Anne Hathaway. She has also appeared in Apple TV’s The New Look and the Polish period feature Chopin, a Sonata in Paris.
O’Connell also produced the self titled debut album from Dead Dads Club, the new project led by former Palma Violets singer Chilli Jesson. Released in 2026, that record was also created at La Frette Studios.
Speaking with NME earlier this year, O’Connell explained that the French studio “feels like a home”. He continued: “There’s nothing about it that feels corporate or constrained by time. My mind goes into this creative mode in which I can hear things in a certain way, and it doesn’t stop until I leave the building.”
Jesson also spoke about the experience, saying: “It was really organic. Carlos, on one of the tours we were on together, was working on a Film Noir album, and he was always mixing it and playing around with sounds. He’d just come out of the studio at La Frette and to see that process, with the production, I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ I’d been in a world where it was all on the computer, and then suddenly he’s talking about a fucking bass drum that’s two metres long.’”
More recently, Fontaines D.C. contributed music to the soundtrack for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The band also appeared on the collaborative charity release ‘Help(2)’, which supports War Child.
The group are preparing to return to the stage this summer for their first performances in nearly a year, beginning with three headline concerts in Spain before taking on their first ever top billing appearances at Reading & Leeds 2026.
Their schedule also includes a headline performance at Electric Picnic in Ireland, alongside appearances at European and American festivals including Frequency, La Route du Rock and Shaky Knees.
Discussing new material with NME at the beginning of the year, O’Connell revealed: “We’ve been writing, it’s been fun. We’re at [Reading & Leeds] and there are a couple of shows before that. I think if the music is there, it could get busy.”
Asked whether any fresh songs could appear during the Reading & Leeds performances, he responded: “I’d say so. If there is stuff written, then I would say so, yeah. That’s what we used to do all the time, play the new stuff live, songs that weren’t even finished. It’s a good way to test the songs.”
O’Connell was also asked whether elements of the visual production from the ‘Romance’ era might carry over into the band’s 2026 shows. “I think ‘Romance’ was so intense in every [way]… the visual, the production, the setlist… It wasn’t just about the music,” he explained.
“It’s almost a bit of the identity of the band now, but I guess that’s the decision to make. Does that become the identity of the band, or actually, it’s just a phase and you reinvent it? I don’t know.”
He went on to add: “I personally like the idea of revisiting some old stuff at Reading & Leeds, making the setlist maybe a bit more ‘Dogrel’ heavy. I’m excited about that. I’ve been listening to music like that much more. This morning I was listening to Sonic Youth. I want to go [in] that direction, but we’ll see, because anything could happen now, literally anything.”
‘Romance’ ultimately secured the Number Two spot on NME‘s list of the 50 best albums of 2024, finishing just behind Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’.
