The Cult ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ Review: veteran UK rockers honor their past and explore their future on new album.
“Forget what you know.” That murmured line from ‘Mirror,’ kicks off The Cult’s new album ‘Under The Midnight Sun‘, their first album since 2016’s ‘Hidden City‘. And in many ways that lyric encapsulates the 8-song collection of new material (out October 7th via Black Hill Records).
While it bears many of the sonic hallmarks of past releases, it also shows new dynamics and aural touches. It’s also the band’s first record with producer Tom Dalgety (Royal Bloody, Ghost), who gets the group out of their comfort zone they inhabited with longtime collaborator Bob Rock.
‘Mirror’s’, undulating. tunneling bass and shimmering guitar-work recalls The Stones Roses’ I Wanna Be Adored’, with vocalist Ian Astbury embracing the nocturnal: “We own the night, shut out the light.”
Indeed, the album is soaked with Goth atmosphere, which reflects the group’s musical roots. This comes even more into focus given the album was recorded in Rockfield Studios, where the group recorded their 1984 post-punk debut album ‘Dreamtime’ (Asbury recorded vocals in L.A. due to the pandemic).
‘A Cut Inside‘, the album’s second single, offers further sonic permutations, recalling 90’s alt-rock with its combination of muscular riffs and discordant textures, with guitarist Billy Duffy’s guitar chops fully on display. It’s also a deeply emotive track, with Asbury intoning “No heathens in Heaven/ No sweet surrender/ Outsiders forever/ The ghost of our lives.”
While Astbury often sings in riddles, he revealed during a recent concert (click here for my review) that the track was written about the passing of his French Bulldog. That sense of loss is palpable, not only in that song, but throughout the record.
Indeed, ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ seems to be an album grappling with mortality, unsurprising perhaps, given Asbury and Duffy are now in their 60’s, but deeply moving nonetheless, such as the expansive, soaring ‘Outer Heaven,’ which crescendos with the singer exclaiming “As all life fades, we must let go.”
The Joy Division-leaning ‘Impermanence’ also meditates on the tenuous state of existence, with Duffy’s scything, haunting Spaghetti-Western guitar lines aiding Astbury’s meditation on “the thorns of this life…broken and beautiful.”
Astbury also grieves for the loss of political decorum and refusal for compromise on ‘Give Me Mercy’, singing over Duffy’s serpentine riff about finding a “new language” given our current one isn’t working. He trades his trademark bellow for a soulful croon that permeates the entire release.
This vocal transition is most pronounced and effective on ‘Knife Through Butterfly Heart’, a haunting number that’s the highlight of the album, featuring a moody psychedelic vibe and dreamy atmosphere before reaching its dissonant Led Zeppelin-esque conclusion.
One of the biggest factors in The Cult’s new expansive sound is the addition of synths, which the band previously used more sparingly. This adds a cinematic sheen to songs like the title track, a widescreen cinematic stunner that has all the bombast, melody and pageantry of a James Bond opening credits song.
Some fans may lament the lack of heavier songs in the vein of 1987’s ‘Electric‘ and 1989’s ‘Sonic Temple‘, or even the spikier moments of their 1985 breakthrough release ‘Love‘.
This is a more muted affair with mid-tempo arrangements that doesn’t hit you front and center Ala ‘Love Removal Machine’ or ‘She Sells Sanctuary.’ That can frustrate at times, given how thrilling the band can be at their full throttle best.
But for those with patience and an open mind, ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ offers a new chapter for a band that has shed its musical skin from album to album. The fact that a snake appears on the album cover feels appropriate.
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of The Cult’s formation, of which Astbury and Duffy are the sole original members. ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ proves they still have plenty of gas left in the tank, looking forward while nodding to the past.
It feels comforting knowing they are keeping their mystical, strange and potent chemistry alive and well after all these years.
