The Cure, a pioneering alternative rock group, continued their campaign of melancholy and distortion last month with the new album, 4:13 Dream, the band’s 13th studio album in its 32-year history.

While the majority of the bands’ catalog is Smashing Pumpkins-esque gloom rock, front man Robert Smith has occasionally stretched into more upbeat pop songs. Late 80s and early 90s radio hits like “Friday I’m in Love” and “Like Heaven” brought The Cure into the mainstream.

4:13 Dream features a few such upbeat songs, most notably “The Only One,” which received airplay last summer.

Though “The Only One” bears strong remembrance to “Friday I’m in Love” in both musical atmosphere and lyrical content, Smith’s vocal inflections that end many lines make the song unique and addictive.

However, “Freakshow,” while definitely possessing a Cure sound, seems to be a bit too happy and short of enough guitar effects to fit in with the rest of the album.

Singer, songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist Smith, has been the only constant band member in the group’s history.

His restrained vocals and often gloomy lyrics are often the focal point of Cure material.

4:13 Dream is no exception to the rule.

Even the half-pop sounding song “The Reasons Why” opens with Smith’s dark yet energetic singing of venerable the lyrics, “I won’t try to bring you down with my suicide.”

Throughout most of the album, the band follows its basics, anchoring a wall of sounds from keyboards and distorted guitars on drum and bass beats.

This is no longer innovative, but it has its own facets that separate The Cure from similar bands.

With Smith nearing his 50th birthday, the song “Sleep When I’m Dead” is slightly autobiographical, and his fans no doubt appreciate his commitment.

While 4:13 Dream is nothing new for The Cure, their ability to turn out another solid album suggests that it will be a long time before they close the curtains on their music career.