S Poddar
On October 1st, The Cure will release live recordings of two previously unheard songs on eco-friendly vinyl. The two songs – “And Nothing Is Forever” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye” – come from The Cure – Novembre: Live in France 2022, with all the proceeds going to EarthPercent, a climate charity by Brian Eno.
This is the latest in an ongoing Naked Record Club commitment to manufacturing records using eco-friendly materials. Their eco-vinyl, estimated to use 80-90% less electricity compared to traditional steam vinyl pressing methods, will be the medium that carries these two new songs. The vinyl itself is made from a non-toxic polyethylene terephthalate-or PET-a plastic considered by many to be the most recyclable in the world due to its widespread use in water bottles and packaging.
The special vinyl will be produced as 5,000 copies, and the first 100 copies will be signed by the iconic frontman of The Cure, Robert Smith. Naked Record Club believe the band’s decision underlines its support for action against climate change-a growing imperative across the music business.
Brian Eno said in a statement, “I’d like to thank The Cure and Naked Record Club, both true innovators, for their generous support of vital climate projects. It’s a powerful example of how the music community can come together in service of building a better world.” This quote by Eno captures the sense that music has an impact on change-not only through the message, but through the process of production itself.
Simon Parker, one of the co-founders of Naked Record Club, was equally excited about the collaboration and reflected on what The Cure’s music meant to him when he was growing up:. “When I bought The Head on the Door back in 1985, the teenage version of myself was shown a different way to live my life… So, when Robert Smith told me he wanted to work with Naked Record Club to raise climate change awareness in the music industry, I was astonished, excited, and dumbstruck in equal measures.” As Parker is deeply connected with this band, he will bring an added layer of emotion to this project, showing just how music can affect someone and inspire great action even years later.
The use of PET for these vinyl records is one important aspect of the project. PET itself is highly recyclable but, being the product produced in huge amounts, is rather low cost. As a matter of fact, Parker explains that the production cost for records made of PET is the same as that for PVC vinyl. He further identified that as the manufacturing capacity and production volumes increase, the cost could be lower, owing to the nature of energy efficiency by the injection molding machine adopted during the process.
But also the packaging of the record has been realized with an attention to sustainability: from the vinyl without a paper label, to the sleeve printed on sustainable paper PEFC-certified, and EPEA-certified inks. The important thing is there is no plastic in the packaging, so not to betray the objective of the whole project: reduce the environmental footprint of music production.
The live recordings on this release were recorded during the performances of The Cure in France, in November 2022. “And Nothing Is Forever” was recorded in Montpellier, while “I Can Never Say Goodbye” is performed in Toulouse. These tracks feature Robert Smith on vocals, six-string bass and shaker; Simon Gallup on bass; Jason Cooper on drums; Roger O’Donnell on keys; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and six-string bass; and Perry Bamonte on keys. The inclusions of these unreleased tracks will no doubt be a dream come true for fans of this band that have been waiting anxiously for so long to get any type of new material.
It is still not clear, however, whether these songs will also be part of the highly-anticipated new album from The Cure, Songs of a Lost World. Until then, the fans keep on speculating and hoping the so allegedly long-in-the-making album finally sees the light of day.
The collaboration between The Cure, Naked Record Club, and EarthPercent marks an exciting place where music meets environmental activism. With the music industry now reckoned to be under increasing pressure with regards to environmental vulnerability, such initiatives act as models for collaboration that artists and producers can look up to for positive influence.
