What the record is and where it came from
The Cure’s sixth studio album. Released in August 1985. Their first composed entirely by Robert Smith. Marked Simon Gallup’s return and the official inclusion of Porl Thompson and Boris Williams. A newly stabilised line-up’s statement of stylistic breadth.
How it sounds, and how it was made
It sounds like a deliberate collage of textures: an oriental hook in ‘Kyoto Song’, flamenco guitar in ‘The Blood’, a reused piano motif from Siouxsie and the Banshees’ ‘Swimming Horses’ in ‘Six Different Ways’, and a saxophone solo on ‘A Night Like This’. It was made by a newly stabilised line-up — Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Williams, Thompson — with Smith composing all songs alone. The album was conceived as a synthesis of the band’s optimistic and pessimistic tendencies, inspired by Kaleidoscope and Dare.
What lands
‘In Between Days’ lands with its bright, staccato guitar and clipped vocal delivery. ‘Close to Me’ lands with its rubbery bassline and tight, skipping rhythm. ‘Push’ lands with its urgent, ascending bassline and insistent chorus. These three tracks establish the album’s accessible edge without softening its tonal ambiguity.
What does not
It does not sustain a single mood. It does not hide its seams. It does not rely on gothic atmosphere or studio gloom. It does not use drum machines or synthesiser textures as dominant elements. It does not sound like the ‘dark trilogy’.
The ideas inside it
It binds optimism and pessimism into one record. It treats stylistic variety as compositional intent, not compromise. It uses borrowed motifs — from Siouxsie, from flamenco, from oriental melody — not as pastiche but as palette.
Who should hear it, and who should not
Listeners who value songwriting over persona. People drawn to pop that resists easy categorisation. Anyone tired of hearing this record described as ‘gothic’ or ‘depressing’. Not for those who need linear narratives, sonic continuity, or mythologised frontmen.
Is it worth your time
Yes — if you want pop structures with emotional weight, not nostalgia or myth. It rewards attention to arrangement, not biography. It is not worth your time if you expect consistency, cohesion, or sonic unity.
