The Cure: A Forest – Genesis of a Darkwave Icon

Autumn 1979 marked a pivotal moment in alternative music history. As punk’s raw energy began to wane, The Cure—led by Robert Smith from a small town south of London—embarked on a sonic transformation that would reshape dark alternative culture. The Cure: A Forest chronicles this crucial genesis, tracing the months when the band distilled their emerging vision into a landmark single.

‘A Forest’ crystallised everything essential to The Cure’s identity: hypnotic bass lines, ethereal guitars, and Smith’s characteristically melancholic vocals. Though initially modest in commercial terms, the track became their first UK chart entry and has endured as perhaps their most iconic composition—a concert staple that audiences eagerly anticipate.

Author Éric Tavernier, himself an engineer and longtime music devotee, brings scholarly rigour to this intimate portrait, drawing on lesser-known historical details to illuminate how a promising band’s experimental impulse accidentally birthed a global standard. Following his acclaimed translation of Martin Aston’s À contre-courant, Tavernier explores the single that soundtracked his own adolescence.

Source: Le Boulon