The Head on the Door is arguably the first album from The Cure which sounds like their established sound. Those experimentations with fully gothic rock crash-outs and the healing sounds of new wave influence come to a head on The Head on the Door. A magnificent album helped along by Simon Gallup returning. A lighter flourish from frontman Robert Smith separates The Cure from their past just enough to glimpse a brighter future. But that is not to say these songs are not steeped in gothic intent, in maudlin ruminations and loveless moments, because they are. Instrumental skill masquerades them, making them sound that little bit more pop-oriented in the hope of bringing on a wider audience. There are still pangs of what makes The Cure so special, but their ever-moving experimentation unveils a new side to them, a style which made itself known on Japanese Whispers and The Top.
Mesmerising pieces like Kyoto Song sound off those new changes, the instrumental turnaround The Head on the Door provides is monumental. The Cure are unconvinced of staying in the same genre space, hence the wild transitions from a meddlesome and haunting song like Kyoto Song to the Flamenca-infused spirit of acoustic-driven The Blood. Once more the tonal change happens, with the percussion-heavy Six Different Ways a lighter tone, an almost twee number where Smith maps the routes to his heart. Very effective songwriting, but crucially a moment of earnestness and honesty which overlaps with the constant pangs of pain and hurt. Where The Head on the Door may not be the most popular work from The Cure, it is without question one of their most important releases. An album where they not only find a sound which works for them, but let go of their past restrictions, the hang-ups of nearly a decade.
Smith hones those pop charms well, making sure to keep it in the spotlight but not let it overwhelm the core of what makes The Cure so unique. He gives himself licence to sprawl out on beds of light piano work and contemporary guitar features. It provides a welcome backing sound for songs like Push, which is as light as The Cure gets on The Head on the Door. Cool offerings like The Baby Screams give the album a life of its own, a sense of roaring greatness before the recognisable Close To Me. The latter song is a clean-cut but truly brilliant piece of pop-adjacent work from The Cure, which has them accept their popular sound but fill it with fears of death, anxieties and hang-ups that make it impossible to survive in the thrills and spills of the real world.
Catchy these songs may be, there is an inherent commitment to what makes The Cure such a memorable outfit. The Head on the Door oozes coolness in both instrumental choice and image. An eclectic mix of musical influences is what inspires Smith here, and it makes all the difference for The Cure. The Head on the Door has sprawling instrumental beauties like Sinking and lyrically tight observations the whole way through. Where the band steers clear of the more gut-wrenching and macabre moments, it still has a bleeding heart where woe has overtaken all other emotions. A shadow is cast, the considered and confident tone The Cure takes on here has them reach a high point which has proven to be one of their great peaks. The Head on the Door remains one of their tightest projects.
This was the album that introduced me to The Cure aged 12, I vividly remember hearing the 7″ remix of Close to Me on the radio and being blown away. They’ve always been my favourite band since that day in 1985. Cannot believe 40 years have whisked by!