Crucial Track for April 17, 2025

"Endsong" by The Cure

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Closing out a near-perfect album, this ten-minute track—undoubtedly my favorite—ebbs and flows with a slow, teasing tapestry of sound; the cavalcade, and a hypnotic march through darkness toward the end. Just when you’re finally convinced that it’s an instrumental, Robert Smith’s voice cuts through, revealing a heart-wrenching look back at the years mostly behind him. The message is resoundingly human; where has all the time gone? What happened to who I was all those years ago? As I approach turning 44 next month, with many questions of my own, I can’t help but feel an affinity for the contrast of darkness, playfulness, and woe that frolic within Robert’s words.