4:13 Dream is the thirteenth studio album by English rock band The Cure. After failing to meet several release dates, the album was released on 27 October 2008 by Geffen Records.^[2]

Background and production[link]

The thirteenth studio album by The Cure was originally intended to be a double album; however, frontman Robert Smith confirmed in interviews that this idea was scrapped, despite the fact that 33 songs had been recorded.^[3][4] Some songs featured on the album were recycled from earlier album sessions: an example is "Sleep When I'm Dead", which was originally written for the band's 1985 album The Head on the Door.^[5] Smith attested that the album would mostly comprise the upbeat songs the band recorded, while the darker songs may be released on another album.^[6]

Promotion[link]

On 1 May 2008, The Cure, via their MySpace profile, posted a bulletin in which they confirmed that the album would be released on 13 September. The bulletin also said that the thirteenth day of each month leading up to the release of the album (May, June, July and August) would see the release of a single from the album, as well as B-sides that would not make the final cut. The first single, "The Only One", was released on 13 May, followed by "Freakshow" on 13 June. "Sleep When I'm Dead" was then released on 13 July, followed by the fourth and final single, "The Perfect Boy", which was released on 13 August. On 16 July, Robert Smith announced that the album would be pushed back to 13 October, and in September's place, an EP was released containing remixes of the four singles from 4:13 Dream, entitled Hypnagogic States. The album's release date was delayed yet again, and it was released on 27 October.

On 21 August the title of the album was announced online as 4.13 Dream, and corrected three days later to 4:13 Dream. The official track listing was first revealed on the band's official website on 15 September 2008. Smith also mentioned the "dark album" companion piece, and jokingly stated that he would like to have it released by his next birthday (21 April 2009).

First songs performed[link]

On 6 October 2007, The Cure played the first song from their upcoming album at the Download Festival in Mountain View, California.^[7] The song, "The Only One" (then titled "Please Project") would go on to be the album's lead single. Following this, the band slowly introduced other songs from the album. In order to finish recording 4:13 Dream by early 2008, they delayed their North American tour by eight months.

On the following 4Tour, the band performed the songs "Underneath the Stars", "The Perfect Boy", "Sleep When I'm Dead", "Freakshow" (then titled "Don't Say Anything"), "The Only One" (then titled "Please Project"), and "It's Over" (then titled "Baby Rag Dog Book") at various shows. Although rumored to appear on the album from early reports, another song, "A Boy I Never Knew", was omitted from the final track listing.

On 11 October 2008, The Cure performed 4:13 Dream in its entirety at a free gig in Rome.

Reception[link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B[8]
Allmusic	[9]
Blender	[10]
Entertainment Weekly	B[11]
The Guardian	[12]
NME	[13]
Pitchfork Media	(6.7/10)[14]
PopMatters	[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
The Times	[17]

The album has received a mixed response from critics. While most critics have praised the album as a quintessential Cure record,^[13] others have criticised the compression,^[18] and its overly comfortable^[14] and lightweight^[9] songwriting. 4:13 Dream debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week of release.^[19] As of January 2011 US sales stand at 93,000.

Track listing[link]

Personnel[link]

• Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, 6-string bass, keyboards, producer, mixing, engineering
• Porl Thompson – guitar
• Simon Gallup – bass
• Jason Cooper – drums, percussion, loops

• Smud – extra percussion
• Catsfield Sub Rhythm Trio – handclaps

• Keith Uddin – producer, mixing, engineering
• Daren Butler – assistant engineer
• Matt Hendry – assistant engineer
• Simon Wakeling – assistant engineer
• Brian Gardner – mastering

Charts[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Track-By-Track: The Cure's '4:13 Dream'
• Pitchfork's review of 4:13 Dream
• BBC – Music – Review of the Cure's 4:13 Dream